Nanoxylocopa

Taxonomy

Background

Xylocopa (Nanoxylocopa) are somewhat robust, small bees, 10 – 15 mm in length, with black integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
and very weak metallic reflections in bright light. They have thick pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
that is mostly pale, with some dark areas in males, and primarily brown to black in females. Their wings range from amber to light amber, almost gold colored (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.; Melo 2016Melo 2016:
Melo, G. A. R. 2016. A new species of Xylocopa ( Nanoxylocopa ) from Brazil (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Papeacute;is Avulsos de Zoologia 56(9): 103-107.).

Diversity

Xylocopa (Nanoxylocopa) contains two species: Xylocopa ciliate and Xylocopa bellus (Melo 2016Melo 2016:
Melo, G. A. R. 2016. A new species of Xylocopa ( Nanoxylocopa ) from Brazil (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Papeacute;is Avulsos de Zoologia 56(9): 103-107.).

Distribution

Xylocopa (Nanoxylocopa) can be found in Argentina, southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay (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.; Melo 2016Melo 2016:
Melo, G. A. R. 2016. A new species of Xylocopa ( Nanoxylocopa ) from Brazil (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Papeacute;is Avulsos de Zoologia 56(9): 103-107.).

​Distribution map generated by <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?w=1200&kind=Xylocopa+ciliata" 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

Xylocopa (Nanoxylocopa) are generalist pollinators and are even known to pollinate several South American crops, including passion fruit (Yamamoto et al. 2013Yamamoto et al. 2013:
Yamamoto, M., C. N. Junqueira, A. A. A. Barbosa, S. C. Augusto, and P. E. Oliveira. 2014. Estimating crop pollinator population using markndash;recapture method. Apidologie 45: 205-214.; Melo 2016Melo 2016:
Melo, G. A. R. 2016. A new species of Xylocopa ( Nanoxylocopa ) from Brazil (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Papeacute;is Avulsos de Zoologia 56(9): 103-107.). They have also been recorded visiting flowers of a number of plant families including: Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Compositae, Convolvulaceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae (Hurd 1978aHurd 1978a:
Hurd, P.D. 1978a. An Annotated Catalog of the Carpenter Bees (Genus Xylocopa Latreille) of the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 106 pp.).

Diagnostic characteristics

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

• Eyes more convergent above than below.
• Scutum scutum:
  the large segment on top of the thorax located between the wings and behind the head
  broadly impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  medially.
• 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 the eyes.
• Male first flagellar segment shorter than the following three combined.
• 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
  punctatepunctate:
  studded with tiny holes
  throughout.
• Male S1S1:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  with apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  deeply emarginateemarginate:
  a notched or cut out place in an edge or margin, can be dramatic or simply a subtle inward departure from the general curve or line of the margin or structure being described
  medially.
• Female laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  ocelli slightly below summits of the eyes.
• Female frontal carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  short, transverse, and tuberculiformtuberculiform:
  a small knob-like or rounded protuberance
  .
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  , with outer tooth much wider than inner tooth.
• Female basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  bifid.
• 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.

May be confused with

X. (Nanoxylocopa) is most similar to X. (Schoenherria) and X. (Cirroxylocopa). Females can be distinguished from the other subgenera by their transverse, tuberculiformtuberculiform:
a small knob-like or rounded protuberance
frontal carinacarina:
a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
. Males can be distinguished by the unmodified tegulategula:
the usually oval, small shield-like structure carried at the extreme base of the wing where it attaches to the body
with punctations throughout.

Nesting behavior

Xylocopa (Nanoxylocopa) primarily makes its nests in the dead flower stalks of the genus Eryngium (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.) but has also been found to make nests in Agave, Arundo donax, Escallonia, Foeniculum vulgare, and Helianthus annuus (Hurd 1978b).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

References

Hurd, P.D. 1978a. An Annotated Catalog of the Carpenter Bees (Genus Xylocopa Latreille) of the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 106 pp.

Hurd, P.D. 1978b. Bamboo-Nesting Carpenter Bees (Genus Xylocopa Latreille) of the Subgenus Stenoxylocopa Hurd and Moure (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae). Kansas (Central States) Entomological Society 51(4): 746-764.

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.

Melo, G. A. R. 2016. A new species of Xylocopa (Nanoxylocopa) from Brazil (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 56(9): 103-107.

Yamamoto, M., C. N. Junqueira, A. A. A. Barbosa, S. C. Augusto, and P. E. Oliveira. 2014. Estimating crop pollinator population using mark–recapture method. Apidologie 45: 205-214.