Biology:Xylocopa africana

Short description: Species of bee

Xylocopa africana
Xylocopa africana from the Republic of the Congo, male and female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Suborder:	Apocrita
Superfamily:	Apoidea
Family:	Apidae
Subfamily:	Xylocopinae
Tribe:	Xylocopini
Genus:	Xylocopa
Species:	Xylocopa africana (Fabricius, 1781)
Synonyms
Apis africana Fabricius, 1781 Bombus africanus (Fabricius) Bremus africanus (Fabricius) Koptortosoma africana (Fabricius) Mesotrichia africana (Fabricius)

Xylocopa africana is a species of carpenter bee.

Subspecies

• X. a. africana (Fabricius, 1781)
• X. a. congoensis Enderlein, 1903
• X. a. conradti Enderlein, 1903
• X. a. longjinensis Strand, 1911

Description

In males, the thorax and the first abdominal segment are golden yellow, while in females they are brown. The abdomen is mainly dark brown or blackish.

Distribution

This species can be found in Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Uganda and Angola.

References

• Eardley, C. D. (1987) Catalogue of Apoidea (Hymenoptera) in Africa south of the Sahara, Part 1, The genus Xylocopa Latreille (Anthophoridae), Entomology Memoir, No. 70

Wikidata ☰ Q2284868 entry