Definitions for Psithyrus
psithyrus

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Psithyrus, genus Psithyrusnoun

   a large bee that resembles the bumblebee but lacks pollen-collecting apparatus and a worker caste

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Psithyrus

   Cuckoo bumblebees are members of the subgenus Psithyrus in the bumblebee genus Bombus. Until recently, the 28 species of Psithyrus were considered to constitute a separate genus. They are a specialized socially parasitic lineage which parasitises the nests of 'true' bumblebees, resulting in the loss of the ability to collect pollen and establish their own nests. Cuckoo bumblebees do not create a worker caste and produce only male and female reproductives. They are considered inquilines in the colonies of 'true' bumblebees. Cuckoo bumblebee females emerge from hibernation later than their host species to ensure that their host has had sufficient time to establish a nest. Before finding and invading a host colony, a Psithyrus female feeds directly from flowers until her ovaries are sufficiently developed, at which time she begins seeking a nest to invade. Once she has located and infiltrated a host colony, the Psithyrus female usurps the nest by killing or subduing the host queen. She then lays her own eggs, exploiting the host workers to feed her and her developing young through pheromones and/or physical attacks.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Psithyrus

   Cuckoo bumblebees are members of the subgenus Psithyrus in the bumblebee genus Bombus. Up until recently, the 29 species of Psithyrus were considered to constitute a separate genus. They are a specialized lineage which has lost social behavior, and lost the ability to collect pollen, and are instead cleptoparasitic in the colonies of other bumblebees. Before finding and invading a host colony, a Psithyrus female will feed directly from flowers. Once she has infiltrated a host colony, the Psithyrus female will kill or subdue the queen of that colony and forcibly "enslave" the workers of that colony to feed her and her developing young. When the young emerge, they leave the colony to mate, and the females seek out other nests to attack. Female cuckoo bumblebees will aggressively attack host colony members, and sting the host queen, but will ignore other animals unless disturbed.

Matched Categories

1. • Arthropod Genus

How to pronounce Psithyrus?

1. Alex

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Psithyrus in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Psithyrus in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Psithyrus
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psithyrus
3. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Psithyrus