Monoxylocopa

Taxonomy

Background

Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) are somewhat robust, small bees, 10 – 17 mm in length, with black to brown integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
without metallic reflections. Females have moderately dense, mostly brown or black, pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
throughout their body and sometimes pale yellow pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
on the face. Male have yellow maculations on their head and their pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
ranges from light brown to yellow. Their wings range from brown to light brown and have a faint blue or yellowish 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., Zanella and Silva 2010Zanella and Silva 2010:
Zanella, F. C. V., M. Silva. 2010. Uma nova espeacute;cie de Xylocopa ( Monoxylocopa ) Hurd amp; Moure e novos registros de X. abbreviata Hurd amp; Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Neotropical Entomology 39(1): 61-66.).

Diversity

Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) contains two species: Xylocopa abbreviate and Xylocopa macambirae (Zanella and Silva 2010Zanella and Silva 2010:
Zanella, F. C. V., M. Silva. 2010. Uma nova espeacute;cie de Xylocopa ( Monoxylocopa ) Hurd amp; Moure e novos registros de X. abbreviata Hurd amp; Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Neotropical Entomology 39(1): 61-66.).

Distribution

Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) is known from central to northeast Brazil (Zanella and Silva 2010Zanella and Silva 2010:
Zanella, F. C. V., M. Silva. 2010. Uma nova espeacute;cie de Xylocopa ( Monoxylocopa ) Hurd amp; Moure e novos registros de X. abbreviata Hurd amp; Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Neotropical Entomology 39(1): 61-66.).

​Distribution map generated by <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?w=1200&kind=Xylocopa+abbreviata" href="https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?w=1200&kind=Xylocopa+abbreviata" _blank"="">Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.

Host associations

The flower preferences of Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) for food are unknown but they have been observed nesting in Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae) flower stalks (Ramalho et al. 2004Ramalho et al. 2004:
Ramalho, M., M. A. Batista, and M. Silva. 2004. Xylocopa ( Monoxylocopa ) abbreviata Hurd amp; Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae) e Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae): Uma Associaccedil;atilde;o Estreita no Semi-Aacute;rido do Brasil Tropical. Neotropical Entomology 33(4):417-425.).

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. and Zanella and Silva 2010Zanella and Silva 2010:
Zanella, F. C. V., M. Silva. 2010. Uma nova espeacute;cie de Xylocopa ( Monoxylocopa ) Hurd amp; Moure e novos registros de X. abbreviata Hurd amp; Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Neotropical Entomology 39(1): 61-66.)

• Ocelli low, below the summits of the eyes, and without laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  ridges or swelling.
• Parapsidal line parapsidal line:
  the line that runs submedially along the scutum and corresponds to the median border of the site of origin for flight muscles
  more than half as long as first flagellar segment.
• Propodeal triangle well defined.
• Male middle trochantertrochanter:
  segment of the insect leg between the coxa and the femur
  with small spinose carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  at the apexapex:
  end of any structure
  .
• Male hind tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with swollen apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  protuberance and one apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  spine.
• Female first flagella shorter than the combined length of the following three segments combined.
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  .
• Female T2T2:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  – T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  without graduligraduli:
  A transverse line on abdominal segments of&nbsp;some bees that is formed by a groove or a step between two regions that differ in height. This line can be well developed and present across the entire segment but can also be diminished or absent through part of the segment, requiring close inspection.
  .
• Pygidial plate pygidial 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.

May be confused with

Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) females are most similar to X. (Diaxylocopa) and X. (Schoenherria). Females can be distinguished from X. (Diaxylocopa) by their bidentatebidentate:
having two teeth
mandibles. Males and females can be distinguished from X. (Schoenherria) by their non-metallic integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
and longer parapsidal lines. Males of X. (Diaxylocopa) are unknown. (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.).

Nesting behavior

Females bore into the flower stalks Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae) to make their nests. They dig a singular, linear nest in the soft pulp of the bromeliad’s flower stalk (Ramalho et al. 2004Ramalho et al. 2004:
Ramalho, M., M. A. Batista, and M. Silva. 2004. Xylocopa ( Monoxylocopa ) abbreviata Hurd amp; Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae) e Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae): Uma Associaccedil;atilde;o Estreita no Semi-Aacute;rido do Brasil Tropical. Neotropical Entomology 33(4):417-425.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

References

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.

Keasar, T. 2010. Large Carpenter Bees as Agricultural Pollinators. Psyche doi:10.1155/2010/927463.

Ramalho, M., M. A. Batista, and M. Silva. 2004. Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) abbreviata Hurd & Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae) e Encholirium spectabile (Bromeliaceae): Uma Associação Estreita no Semi-Árido do Brasil Tropical. NeotropicalNeotropical:
biogeographic region that includes South and Central America, the Caribbean Islands, southern Florida, and the southern Mexican lowlands
Entomology 33(4):417-425.

Zanella, F. C. V., M. Silva. 2010. Uma nova espécie de Xylocopa (Monoxylocopa) Hurd & Moure e novos registros de X. abbreviata Hurd & Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae). NeotropicalNeotropical:
biogeographic region that includes South and Central America, the Caribbean Islands, southern Florida, and the southern Mexican lowlands
Entomology 39(1): 61-66.