California carpenter bee

The California carpenter bee, Xylocopa californica, is a species of carpenter bee in the order Hymenoptera. It is native to western North America.[1]

California carpenter bee
Xylocopa californica
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Apidae
Genus:
Xylocopa
Species:
X. californica
Binomial name
Xylocopa californica
Cresson, 1864

Distribution

Xylocopa californica is typically found in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Northwestern Mexico, with outlying records in Montana, Kansas, and Louisiana.[2] It is especially abundant, along with Xylocopa sonorina, in the Central Valley and in Southern California, including the Mojave Desert. They are agriculturally beneficial insects and pollinators of diverse California chaparral and woodlands and desert native plant species.[3][4] This carpenter bee is active during hot seasons.

Description

The California carpenter bee is all black, with bluish/greenish reflections. The males typically have at least a few light hairs on the pronotum (dorsal prothorax) and the abdominal segments.[5]

Subspecies

The species has three named subspecies, defined solely by coloration and geography:[1]

  • Xylocopa californica arizonensis Cresson, 1879
  • Xylocopa californica californica Cresson, 1864
  • Xylocopa californica diamesa Hurd, 1954
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See also
  • Carpenter bees
  • Hymenoptera of North America
  • Insects of the United States

References
  1. "Xylocopa californica". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. X. californica distribution map at DiscoverLife
  3. California Insects; Jerry A. Powell, Charles L. Hogue; 1989; University of California Press.
  4. Discoverlife.org: Xylocopa californica
  5. BugGuide.Net: Species − Xylocopa californica


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