Summary: Scientists from the University of California, Riverside, rediscovered the rarest species of bumblebee in the United States. "Cockerell's Bumblebee" was last seen in 1956, in the White Mountains in New Mexico. The bee is known from an area of less than 300 square miles. This gives Cockerell's Bumblebee the most limited range of any bumblebee species in the world! Currently, the bee is not under serious threat of habitat loss. The species has been ignored for so long because it was not believed to be a distinct species, just a regional color variant of another species. The next step for scientists is going to be coming to a firm conclusion regarding the status of the bee as a species.
Critique: I think that this is so cool- rediscovering a whole other species! I can understand how it got forgotten- according to recent estimates there are about 8 million species of insects in existence.
Impact: I don't think that there is much of an impact. Scientists rediscover about several dozen species every year, but I still think it's really cool. This is the rarest bumblebee in the United States!
Reference: http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/12/05/scientists_rediscover_rarest_us_bumblebee.html
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