Franklin's Bumble Bee vs Tanzanian Heelwalker

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Franklin's Bumble Bee Tanzanian Heelwalker
Scientific Name Bombus franklini Tanzaniophasma subsolana
Order Hymenoptera Mantophasmatodea
Family Apidae Tanzaniophasmatidae
Size 14-18 mm 15-20 mm
Habitat Mountains Mountains
Diet Nectar Feeders Omnivores
Regions Western United States East Africa, Tanzania
Conservation Critically Endangered Data Deficient

Franklin's Bumble Bee

The world's most range-restricted bumble bee, found only in a small area between southern Oregon and northern California. It has not been reliably seen since 2006 and may be extinct.

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Did You Know?

Its entire known range spans only about 190 miles north to south, making it the most geographically restricted bumble bee on Earth.

Tanzanian Heelwalker

Known only from a single museum specimen from Tanzania, this enigmatic heelwalker represents the only known East African member of its order. Its biology remains almost completely unknown.

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Did You Know?

This species was described from a specimen collected decades before Mantophasmatodea was recognized as a new order.