Prosopoxylocopa

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Xylocopini
Genus: Xylocopa
Subgenus: Prosopoxylocopa, 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

Xylocopa (Prosopoxylocopa) are small to medium sized bees, 10 – 25 mm in length, with black integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
. They have sparse, to moderately dense, primarily black pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
, often with some pale hairs on their head, thorax, and legs. They have amber to brown colored wings (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 (Prosopoxylocopa) contains only one species, Xylocopa mirabilis (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 (Prosopoxylocopa) is endemic to Madagascar (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 (Prosopoxylocopa) has been observed pollinating the flowers of Dichaetanthera (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, practically nonexistent.
• Mandible mandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  .
• Scutum scutum:
  the large segment on top of the thorax located between the wings and behind the head
  narrowly impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  medially.
• Scutellum scutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  rounded in profile.
• Basitibial plate basitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  present and simple.
• Male first flagellar segment longer than combined lengths of succeeding three segments.
• Male face very narrow.
• Male eyes enlarged, bowing strongly towards the antennal sockets medially.
• Male labrumlabrum:
  part of the head abutting the clypeus, folds down in front of the mouthparts
  entire, not 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.
• Male 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
  spine.
• Female 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.
• 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

Xylocopa (Prosopoxylocopa) is most similar to X. (Zonohirsuta). Males can be distinguished by the continuous yellow maculations from the labrumlabrum:
part of the head abutting the clypeus, folds down in front of the mouthparts
to the supraclypeal areasupraclypeal area:
the region of the head between the antennal sockets and clypeus, demarcated on the sides by the subantennal sutures
in addition to their very narrow face, and eyes that are bulging strongly medially towards the antennal sockets. Females can be distinguished by their simple basitibial platebasitibial plate:
a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
(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

The nesting habits of Xylocopa (Prosopoxylocopa) are unknown but most members of Xylocopa bore into the stems and branches of woody plants to construct their nests (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 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.

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

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

Eardley, C., W. Coetzer. 2016. Catalogue of Afrotropical Bees. Version 1.6. Agricultural Research Council. GBIF.org (https://doi.org/10.15468/u9ezbh).