California carpenter bee

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

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

Distribution

Xylocopa californica is found in California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Arizona, and Northwestern Mexico. ^[2] It is found, along with Xylocopa varipuncta, 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]}

Description

The California carpenter bee is all black, as other Xylocopa species−the large carpenter bees are, and has some bluish/greenish reflections. The male has some lighter markings on the pronotum (dorsal prothorax) and the abdominal segments. ^[5]

Subspecies

The species has three named subspecies:^[1]

• Xylocopa californica arizonensis Cresson, 1879
• Xylocopa californica californica Cresson, 1864
• Xylocopa californica diamesa Hurd, 1954

See also

• Carpenter bees
• Hymenoptera of North America
• Insects of the United States

References

1. "Xylocopa californica". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
2. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders; Lorus and Margery Milne; 1980; Knopf.
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

External links

• Discoverlife.org: Photo gallery of Xylocopa californica (Western Carpenter Bee) — with list of host plants.
• BugGuide.Net: Xylocopa californica — Western Carpenter Bee — images.

CCategory:Pollinator Hymenoptera