Biology:Xylocopa valga

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Short description: Species of bee

Xylocopa valga
Xylocopa valga fem.jpg
Carpenter-bee (Xylocopa valga) foraging Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) flowers.
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Xylocopa
Species:
X. valga
Binomial name
Xylocopa valga
Gerstaecker, 1872[2]

Xylocopa valga is a species of carpenter bee common to: western, central and southern Europe, except for far northern latitudes; the Caucasus; Middle East; Central Asia; and Mongolia.[3] The species has become extinct in Latvia and Lithuania.[4]

Description

This solitary bee has a black and blue coloured body, 20–27 mm in length, and densely covered with purple hairs. The small wings also have a purple tint. The bee creates cavity nests by gnawing the wood in the trunks of dead trees and in old wooden structures. It inhabits both forests and urban areas.[3]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q2717127 entry