Ceratina cyanea

Ceratina cyanea
Ceratina cf. cyanea on Asphodelus macrocarpus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Ceratina
Subgenus: Euceratina
Species: C. cyanea
Binomial name
Ceratina cyanea
(Kirby, 1802) [1]

Ceratina cyanea, common name blue carpenter bee, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae.

Description

Ceratina cyanea can reach a length of 5–9 millimetres (0.20–0.35 in) (females) and 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in) (males).[2] Head, chest and abdomen show a metallic blue colour.[2][3] These bees have three submarginal cells in forewings,[4] club-shaped antennae[2] and a long thin tongue.[2] The scutellum is densely punctured. The seventh tergite has a deep saddle and ends in two points.[5][6]

The blue carpenter bees fly from mid-March to mid-October,[2] collecting pollen at various families of plants, especially knapweed (Centaurea), yellow composites (Asteraceae) and Lotus (Fabaceae).[7]

Females nest in the vertical or slanted dead plant stems,[3][7] such as thistles, blackberries (Rubus species),[3] elderberries (Sambucus species) and roses.[2][3] Then they provide the cells with a mixture of regurgitated nectar and pollen to feed the larvae.[2] Adult males and females overwinter inside their cells into the stems. Often several insects spend the winter together.[2]

Habitat

This undemanding species colonize both dry habitats and wetlands. It inhabits forest edges, thickets and gardens.[2][7]

Distribution

This species is present in most of Western Europe, in North West Africa and in the East Palaearctic ecozone (excluding China).[1][5][8]

References

  1. 1 2 Biolib
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Naturspaziergang
  3. 1 2 3 4 British Journal of Entomology and Natural History - Volume 8 - 1995
  4. ↑ John L. Capinera - Encyclopedia of Entomology
  5. 1 2 Révision des Xylocopinae (Hymenoptera : Apidae) de France et de Belgique
  6. ↑ Felix Amiet, M. Herrmann, A. Müller, R. Neumeyer: Fauna Helvetica 20: Apidae 5. Centre Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune, 2007
  7. 1 2 3 Essex Field Club
  8. ↑ Global species
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