What specialized foraging structure is missing in the female Bombus vestalis?
Answer
Corbiculae
The Bombus vestalis has evolved to live as a parasite rather than a worker, meaning it does not collect nectar or pollen. Consequently, it has lost the corbiculae, or pollen baskets, which are the specialized structures found on the hind legs of social bumblebee queens and workers. This loss is a clear example of evolutionary simplification where non-essential traits are shed when an organism adopts a lifestyle that does not require the trait for survival or reproduction.
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