Crotch's Bumblebee vs Long-Legged Desert Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Crotch's Bumblebee Long-Legged Desert Ant
Scientific Name Bombus crotchii Cataglyphis bicolor
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Apidae Formicidae
Size 10-16 mm 6-12 mm
Habitat Heathland Deserts & Drylands
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions California, western USA Mediterranean Europe, Middle East, North Africa
Conservation Endangered Least Concern

Crotch's Bumblebee

A western North American bumblebee that has declined by over 90% from its historical range. Once common in California's Central Valley. Threatened by pesticides and habitat loss.

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Did You Know?

Has vanished from most of California's agricultural Central Valley where it was once the dominant bumblebee.

Long-Legged Desert Ant

A large, bicolored desert ant with a distinctive red thorax and black head and gaster. Workers are solitary foragers with exceptionally long legs that keep their bodies elevated from hot sand. They are among the most heat-tolerant terrestrial animals.

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Did You Know?

Workers can detect and memorize visual landmarks after just a single exposure, an exceptional feat for an insect brain.