Ceratina (Chloroceratina)

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Ceratinini
Genus: Ceratina Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Chloroceratina Cockerell, 1918
Common name: small carpenter bees

Overview

Ceratina (Chloroceratina) have blackish integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
with slightly metallic blue or green coloration and yellow markings on their head, thorax, and abdomen. Their body length ranges from 6–8 mm (Vecht 1952Vecht 1952:
Vecht, J. van der. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). 2001. Verhandel., Leiden, 16: lndash;85.; Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Vecht 1952Vecht 1952:
Vecht, J. van der. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). 2001. Verhandel., Leiden, 16: lndash;85.; Hirashima 1971aHirashima 1971a:
Hirashima, Y. 1971. Subgeneric classification of the genus Ceratina Latreille of Asia and West Pacific, with comments on the remaining subgenera of the world (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University 16 (4): 349ndash;375.)

• Clypeus clypeus:
  a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
  with few, large, ill-defined punctures along anterioranterior:
  toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
  margin.
• Head almost circular with inner orbits parallel when seen in frontal view.
• Pronotum pronotum:
  a collar-like segment on the thorax and directly behind the head; extends down the sides of the thorax toward the first pair of legs
  narrower than usual, its dorsumdorsum:
  in general, the upper surface
  depressed below the level of the scutellumscutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  ; its base concave with distinct longitudinal striae, the posterior two-thirds are flattened, finely granulate, and its declivity is rather steep and with distinct median impression.
• Propodeum, as seen in profile, bluntly angular and with the horizontal dorsumdorsum:
  in general, the upper surface
  distinctly separated from the steeply declivous posterior surface.
• Male antennae long, the 3rd flagellar segment longer than broad.
• Male hind femurfemur:
  the third segment of the leg, situated between the trochanter and the tibia
  with a comb of curved setaesetae:
  a still hair-like structure or bristle
  at the base.
• Male hind trochantertrochanter:
  segment of the insect leg between the coxa and the femur
  with a comb of curved setaesetae:
  a still hair-like structure or bristle
  on the posterior side.
• Male S6S6:
  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 large concavity medially along the subapicalsubapical:
  located just behind the apex of the segment or body part
  portion.
• Thorax largely impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  .
• Male T7T7:
  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
  bluntly tridentatetridentate:
  having three teeth
  with the median tooth large and triangular.

May be confused with

Ceratina (Chloroceratina) may be confused with other small Ceratina subgenera; however, they can be separated by the shape of their propodeumpropodeum:
the last segment of the thorax
, the largely impunctateimpunctate:
marked with punctures or pits
thorax and, in the males, the concave S6S6:
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
and the tridentatetridentate:
having three teeth
apexapex:
end of any structure
of T7T7:
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
(Hirashima 1971aHirashima 1971a:
Hirashima, Y. 1971. Subgeneric classification of the genus Ceratina Latreille of Asia and West Pacific, with comments on the remaining subgenera of the world (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University 16 (4): 349ndash;375.). It is also the only Ceratina subgenus with a long third flagellar segment (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Host associations

Floral associations are unknown.

Nesting behavior

There are no records about the nesting behavior of Ceratina (Chloroceratina); in general, however, Ceratina nest in pithy stems or sticks (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Diversity

Ceratina (Chloroceratina) contains two species, C. benguetensis and C. cyanura, but there are doubts whether they are two separate, distinct species (Vecht 1952Vecht 1952:
Vecht, J. van der. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). 2001. Verhandel., Leiden, 16: lndash;85.; Hirashima 1971aHirashima 1971a:
Hirashima, Y. 1971. Subgeneric classification of the genus Ceratina Latreille of Asia and West Pacific, with comments on the remaining subgenera of the world (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University 16 (4): 349ndash;375.; 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.

Distribution

Ceratina (Chloroceratina) are known only from northern Luzon, Philippine Islands (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.

References

Hirashima, Y. 1971. Subgeneric classification of the genus Ceratina Latreille of Asia and West Pacific, with comments on the remaining subgenera of the world (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University 16 (4): 349–375.

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

Vecht, J. van der. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). 2001. Verhandel., Leiden 16: l–85.