Xenoxylocopa

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Xylocopini
Genus: Xylocopa
Subgenus: Xenoxylocopa, 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.
Common name: Carpenter bee

Background

Males of Xylocopa (Xenoxylocopa) are medium to large sized bees, 16 – 30 mm in length, with dark brown to black integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
. They have primarily short, thick, dark brown to black pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
, sometimes with pale pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
on their sides and scutellumscutellum:
shield shaped plate behind scutum
. Their wings are usually brown 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 (Xenoxylocopa) includes only one species, Xylocopa inconstans (Mawdsley 2017Mawdsley 2017:
Mawdsley, J. R. 2017. Taxonomy of the African large carpenter bees of the genus Xylocopa Latreille, 1802, subgenus Xenoxylocopa Hurd amp; Moure, 1963 ( Hymenoptera , Apidae ). Zookeys (655): 131-139.).

Distribution

Xylocopa (Xenoxylocopa) is known throughout sub-Saharan Africa ranging from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to South Africa (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 (Xenoxylocopa) are generalist pollinators and have been observed visiting the flowers of a number of plant families including Acanthaceae Asphodelaceae, Bignoniaceae, Burseraceae, Cleomaceae, Combretaceae, Fabaceae, Nyctaginaceae, and Solanaceae (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. and Minckley 1998Minckley 1998:
Minckley, R. L. 1998. A Cladistic Analysis and Classification of the Subgenera and Genera of the Large Carpenter Bees, Tribe Xylocopini (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Natural History Museum, The University of Kansas 9: 1-47.)

• Malar area malar area:
  the shortest distance between the base of the mandible and the margin of the compound eye
  short.
• Frontal carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  present, weakly elevated, and cariniform.
• Mandibles bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  .
• Tegula tegula:
  the usually oval, small shield-like structure carried at the extreme base of the wing where it attaches to the body
  unmodified and punctatepunctate:
  studded with tiny holes
  throughout.
• Scutellum scutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  convexconvex:
  curved outward
  in profile.
• Hind tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with two apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  spines.
• T1 with dorsaldorsal:
  in general, the upper surface
  surface with an abrupt and sharp transition to the anterioranterior:
  toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
  surface.
• Male basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  present and simple.
• Female basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  present and weakly bifidbifid:
  divided into two branches; forked
  .
• 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
  narrow, parallel-sided, and 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 (Xenoxylocopa) are most similar to X. (Koptortosoma) and X. (Mesotrichia) in the sharp transition between the dorsaldorsal:
in general, the upper surface
and anterioranterior:
toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
surfaces of T1T1:
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
. X. (Xenoxylocopa) can be distinguished by the scutellumscutellum:
shield shaped plate behind scutum
, which is convexconvex:
curved outward
and not angulateangulate:
forming an angle rather than a curve
. Females can also be distinguished by the 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 (Minckley 1998Minckley 1998:
Minckley, R. L. 1998. A Cladistic Analysis and Classification of the Subgenera and Genera of the Large Carpenter Bees, Tribe Xylocopini (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Natural History Museum, The University of Kansas 9: 1-47.).

Nesting behavior

Xylocopa (Xenoxylocopa) is known to nest in decayed twigs and branches as well as Aloe and Agave stems on occasion (Watmough 1974Watmough 1974:
Watmough, R.H. 1974. Biology and behaviour of Carpenter bees in southern Africa. Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa. 37(2): 261-281.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

References

Eardley, C., W. Coetzer. 2016. 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.

Mawdsley, J.R. 2017. Taxonomy of the African large carpenter bees of the genus Xylocopa Latreille, 1802, subgenus Xenoxylocopa Hurd & Moure, 1963 (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zookeys 655: 131-139.

Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.

Watmough, R.H. 1974. Biology and behaviour of Carpenter bees in southern Africa. Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa. 37(2): 261-281.