[Pollinator] A new species of bumble bee and syrphid fly

[David Inouye]

Denali National Park and Preserve News Release

Release Date:  October 19, 2016

Contact: Katherine Belcher, katherine_belcher at nps.gov 
<mailto:katherine_belcher at nps.gov>, 907.683.9583 <tel:907.683.9583>

*
*

*Denali National Park and Preserve Buzzing wih the Discovery of Two New 
Species of Pollinators*

*/Announcement Highlights Start of NPS Centennial Science and 
Stewardship Symposium in Fairbanks/*

DENALI PARK, Alaska – A pollinator survey conducted in Denali National 
Park and Preserve in 2012 has unveiled the discovery of two new species 
of pollinators, one of which is found nowhere else on earth. Fewer than 
50 species of bumble bees are currently known from North America, and it 
has been nearly 90 years since a new bumble bee species was discovered.

A recent paper <http://bit.ly/2eb3sWq>in the Journal of Natural History 
by Paul Williams et al. describes the new species of bumble bee, Bombus 
kluanensis, known from just two localities: the Saint Elias Mountains in 
Yukon, Canada, and Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

The new species is in the subgroup Alpinobombus, which includes a 
handful of northern species most of which have circumpolar 
distributions, meaning they are found primarily in arctic regions across 
North America, Europe, and Russia. Bombus kluanensis most closely 
resembles Bombus neoboreus, commonly known as the active bumble bee. The 
determination that Bombus neoboreus is a separate species came primarily 
from genetic evidence, but there are also subtle anatomical differences.

The second new pollinator discovered in the park is a flower fly in the 
family Syrphidae, which, as yet, remains unnamed. It is in the genus 
Cheilosia, a group whose immature larvae feed on plant stems or fungi. 
Some species have been used to control invasive plants such as thistles. 
There are about 11 species of Cheilosia already known from Alaska and 
more than 80 found in North America. They are generally small, black, 
shiny flies. The single specimen collected near the East Fork River in 
Denali is the only documented individual of this new species. It awaits 
a formal scientific description and a name.

"I think these two new discoveries really highlight the fact that there 
is still so much to learn about invertebrate biodiversity in Alaska," 
said Jessica Rykken, entomologist at Denali National Park and Preserve.

  As climate change and other human-caused stressors threaten insect 
pollinators and their relatives, it is vital that we document the 
largely unknown arthropod biodiversity in wilderness areas such as 
Denali. Pollinator (and other arthropod) inventories are ongoing in Denali.

A more structured sampling design along elevational gradients was 
initiated in 2016, and the hope is to discover many more species in the 
years to come. To learn more about the vast diversity of invertebrates 
that call Denali home, visit us online 
<https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/invertebrates.htm>

In celebration of the 100th birthday of America’s national parks, the 
Alaska Region of the National Park Service is hosting a Centennial 
Science and Stewardship Symposium this week in Fairbanks. The symposium 
will highlight how science and scholarship have shaped the past 100 
years of national park management and provide a forward look at the next 
century of preservation and protection in Alaska's national parks. 
Sessions will feature research and stewardship in national parks and 
celebrate the partnerships essential to park management.

Park information is available on the web at www.nps.gov/dena 
<http://www.nps.gov/dena>or by calling (907) 683-9532 
<tel:%28907%29%20683-9532> from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm daily. Stay connected 
with "DenaliNPS" on Twitter <https://twitter.com/denalinps>, Instagram 
<https://www.instagram.com/denalinps/>, Facebook 
<https://www.facebook.com/DenaliNPS/>, YouTube 
<https://www.youtube.com/user/DenaliNPS>, Flickr 
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/denalinps>, and iTunes.

--NPS--

/More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 412 
national parks and work with communities across the nation to help 
preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational 
opportunities. Visit us at //http://www.nps.gov/ <http://www.nps.gov/>/, 
on //Facebook/ <http://www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice>/, 
//Twitter/ <http://www.twitter.com/natlparkservice>/and //YouTube/ 
<http://www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice>/./


-- 
Katherine Belcher <mailto:katherine_belcher at nps.gov>
Public Information Officer
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Phone: 907.683.9583 <tel:907.683.9583>
Cell: 907.202.0156 <tel:907.202.0156>
Fax: 907.683.9610 <tel:907.683.9610>
Stay connected with DenaliNPS <http://www.nps.gov/dena> and on
Twitter <https://twitter.com/denalinps>, Instagram 
<https://www.instagram.com/denalinps/>, Facebook 
<https://www.facebook.com/DenaliNPS/>, YouTube 
<https://www.youtube.com/user/DenaliNPS>, Flickr 
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/denalinps>




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