Ceratina (Lioceratina)

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Ceratinini
Genus: Ceratina Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Lioceratina Vecht, 1952
Common name: small carpenter bees

Overview

Ceratina (Lioceratina) have a delicately sculptured integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
with abundant yellow markings on the head, thorax, and abdomen. Their body length varies from 7–12.5 mm (Van Der Vecht 1952Van Der Vecht 1952:
Van Der Vecht J. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 16: 1‒85.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Van Der Vecht 1952Van Der Vecht 1952:
Van Der Vecht J. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 16: 1‒85.; Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.)

• Abdomen, head, and thorax with yellow maculations.
• Maxillary palpipalpi:
  sensory appendages part of the labium and maxilla
  six-segmented.
• Paraocular paraocular:
  the area extending along the sides of the face parallel to the eye
  area above antennal socket impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  .
• Preoccipital ridge preoccipital ridge:
  the carina that dorsolaterally surrounds the back of the head
  rounded.
• Propodeum propodeum:
  the last segment of the thorax
  without carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  delimiting the basalbasal:
  originating at the foundation of a structure
  part from the vertical part.
• Female basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  rudimentary.
• Male T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  with two or four long spines medially.
• Male T7T7:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  with median spine of emarginateemarginate:
  a notched or cut out place in an edge or margin, can be dramatic or simply a subtle inward departure from the general curve or line of the margin or structure being described
  medially.

May be confused with

Ceratina (Lioceratina) looks very similar to Ceratina (Xanthoceratina), and it has been suggested that these subgenera may be synonymous (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). Female Ceratina (Lioceratina) differ in the lack of a basitibial spine and male Ceratina (Lioceratina) differ in that they lack bundles of hairs on the genitaliagenitalia:
all the genital structures collectively
- a feature that is present in Ceratina (Xanthoceratina) (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Host associations

Ceratina ridleyi has been observed on Rhododendron sp. (family Ericaceae), and on flowers of an undetermined tree within the family Araliaceae. Further, Ceratina flavopicta has been collected on Stachytarpheta (Verbenaceae), Hyptis capitata (Labiatae), and Urena lobata (Malvaceae) (Van Der Vecht 1952Van Der Vecht 1952:
Van Der Vecht J. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 16: 1‒85.).

Nesting behavior

There are no records on the nesting behavior, but it is likely that they nest in hollowed stems as other species of Ceratina.

Diversity

There are a total of nine described species (Van Der Vecht 1952Van Der Vecht 1952:
Van Der Vecht J. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 16: 1‒85.; Hirashima 1971aHirashima 1971a:
Hirashima, Y. 1971. Subgeneric classification of the genus Ceratina Latreille of Asia and West Pacific, with comments on the remaining subgenera of the world (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture Kyushu University 16 (4): 349ndash;375.; Terzo and Rasmont 2001Terzo and Rasmont 2001:
Terzo, M. and P. Rasmont. 2001. Ceratina ( Lioceratina ) velthuisi sp. nov. from Burma (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Xylocopinae). Belgian Journal of Entomology 3: 303‒307.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

Ceratina (Lioceratina) ranges from India through southeastern Asia as far north as the province of Sichuan in China, south to Bali, and east to the Philippines (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

​Distribution map generated by Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.

References

Hirashima Y. 1971. Subgeneric classification of the genus Ceratina Latreille of Asia and West Pacific, with comments on the remaining subgenera of the world (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Journal of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University 16(4): 349‒375.

Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.

Terzo, M. and P. Rasmont. 2001. Ceratina (Lioceratina) velthuisi sp. nov. from Burma (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Xylocopinae). Belgian Journal of Entomology 3: 303‒307.

Van Der Vecht J. 1952. A preliminary revision of the Oriental species of the genus Ceratina (Hymenoptera, Apidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 16: 1‒85.