Xylocopa s. str.

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Xylocopini
Genus: Xylocopa
Subgenus: Xylocopa s. str., Latreille 1802
Common name: Carpenter bee

Background

Xylocopa (Xylocopa) are medium sized bees, 16 – 25 mm in length, with black integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
covered by moderately thick brown to black pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
. Their wing are dark brown with vibrant green or blue iridescent reflections (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 (Xylocopa) includes 5 species (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.; Kuhlmann et al. 2012Kuhlmann et al. 2012:
Kuhlmann, M., et al. 2012. Checklist of the Western Palaearctic Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila). http://westpalbees.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/3760.; Kumari and Sidhu 2020Kumari and Sidhu 2020:
Kumari, P., A.K. Sidhu. 2020. Diversity of Apoidea (Hymenoptera) from Grassland ecosystem of Jammu (UT of Jammu and Kashmir). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 8(4): 424-427.)

Distribution

Xylocopa (Xylocopa) is known from Mediterranean Africa north through Europe to Russia and east to China (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 (Xylocopa) are generalist pollinators that have been observed visiting the flowers of many plant families including Actinidiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Geraniaceae, Grossulariaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Lythraceae, Malvaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Oleaceae, Papaveraceae, Plantaginaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, Solanaceae, Verbenaceae, and Violaceae (Vicidomini 1995Vicidomini 1995:
Vicidomini, S. 1995. Biologia di Xylocopa ( Xylocopa ) violacea (L., 1758): Specie di Foiori Visitate Dalla Femmina (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Entomologica 29: 199-214.).

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.)

• Malar area malar area:
  the shortest distance between the base of the mandible and the margin of the compound eye
  short.
• Scutellum scutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  gently 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.
• Male frontal carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  present and as a sharp ridge.
• Male mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  .
• Male tegulategula:
  the usually oval, small shield-like structure carried at the extreme base of the wing where it attaches to the body
  with posterolateral third impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  and shining.
• Male basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  present and simple.
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  tridentate at apex
• Female basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  bifid at apexapex:
  end of any structure
  .
• Female propodealpropodeal:
  the last segment of the thorax
  triangle present and distinctly differentiated.
• 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 (Xylocopa) are most similar to X. (Ctenoxylocopa) and X. (Biluna). Males can be distinguished by the combination of the tegulategula:
the usually oval, small shield-like structure carried at the extreme base of the wing where it attaches to the body
that is impunctateimpunctate:
marked with punctures or pits
in the posterolateral third, rounded scutellumscutellum:
shield shaped plate behind scutum
, and 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. Females can be distinguished by the combination of their tridentatetridentate:
having three teeth
mandibles and 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 (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 (Xylocopa) has been recorded using a variety of materials for nesting, from dead trees to hollow stems and on rare occasions in the ground (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.).

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.

Kuhlmann, M., et al. 2012. Checklist of the Western Palaearctic Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila). http://westpalbees.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/3760.

Kumari, P., A.K. Sidhu. 2020. Diversity of Apoidea (Hymenoptera) from Grassland ecosystem of Jammu (UT of Jammu and Kashmir). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 8(4): 424-427.

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

Vicidomini, S. 1995. Biologia di Xylocopa (Xylocopa) violacea (L., 1758): Specie di Foiori Visitate Dalla Femmina (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Entomologica 29: 199-214.