Gnathoxylocopa

Taxonomy

Background

Xylocopa (Gnathoxylocopa) is monotypic and are small bees, 10 – 15 mm in length, semi-slender, with black, weakly metallic, integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
. They have thick, almost entirely pale, pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
and amber to brown colored wings with weak iridescence (Hurd and Moure 1963Hurd and Moure 1963:
Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.).

Diversity

Xylocopa (Gnathoxylocopa) contains only one species, Xylocopa sicheli (Hurd and Moure 1963Hurd and Moure 1963:
Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.; Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Distribution

Xylocopa (Gnathoxylocopa) can be found from the southern tip of Africa up to Namibia and Zimbabwe (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Distribution map generated by Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.

Host associations

Xylocopa (Gnathoxylocopa) is a generalist pollinator and has been recorded visiting the flowers of a number of plant families including: Acanthaceae, Aizoaceae, Asphodelaceae, Asteraceae, Cleomaceae, Codonaceae, Crassulaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, and Zygophyllaceae (Eardley and Coetzer 2016Eardley and Coetzer 2016:
Eardley C. and W. Coetzer. 2016. Xylocopa sicheli Vachal, 1898, Catalogue of Afrotropical Bees. Version 1.6. Agricultural Research Council. https://doi.org/10.15468/u9ezbh.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Hurd and Moure 1963Hurd and Moure 1963:
Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.)

• Face very broad.
• Eyes more convergent below than above.
• Ocelli without laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  swellings or ridges.
• Scutum scutum:
  the large segment on top of the thorax located between the wings and behind the head
  punctatepunctate:
  studded with tiny holes
  throughout.
• First submarginal cross vein strongly slanting.
• Basitibial plate basitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  bifid.
• Hind tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with one apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  tooth.
• Male ocelliocelli:
  simple light reception organs; bees have three of them at the top of their head
  high, at least partially above the summits of eyes.
• Male tegulategula:
  the usually oval, small shield-like structure carried at the extreme base of the wing where it attaches to the body
  punctatepunctate:
  studded with tiny holes
  nearly throughout and marginally thickly pubescent.
• Male mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  .
• Female pygidial platepygidial plate:
  unusually flat area (a plate) surrounded by a ridge or line and sometimes sticking well off of the end of the bee; if present, found on the sixth upper abdominal segment in females, seventh in males
  with subapicalsubapical:
  located just behind the apex of the segment or body part
  laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  spines present.
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  tridentate, with a long, stout, curved hook on the lower margin.

May be confused with

Xylocopa (Gnathoxylocopa) is most similar to X. (Rhysoxylocopa). Females can be easily distinguished from all other subgenera by the unique curved hook on the lower margin of the mandibles. Males can be distinguished from X. (Rhysoxylocopa) by their much broader face.

Nesting behavior

Xylocopa (Gnathoxylocopa) is only known to nest in the green stalks of Aloe. It has a hook on the lower margin of each mandiblemandible:
bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
that is designed to be used on the soft pith of Aloe (Hurd and Moure 1963Hurd and Moure 1963:
Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.). They also do not make branching nests, even if there is adequate space for branches (Watmough 1973Watmough 1973:
Watmough, R. H. 1973. Biology and Behavior of Carpenter Bees in Southern Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria 37(2): 261-281.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

References

Eardley C. and W. Coetzer. 2016. Xylocopa sicheli Vachal, 1898, Catalogue of Afrotropical Bees. Version 1.6. Agricultural Research Council. https://doi.org/10.15468/u9ezbh.

Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.

Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 605 pp.

Watmough, R. H. 1973. Biology and Behavior of Carpenter Bees in Southern Africa. Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria 37(2): 261-281.