Ceratina (Malgatina)

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Ceratinini
Genus: Ceratina Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Malgatina Terzo and Pauly, 2001 
Common name: small carpenter bees

Overview

Ceratina (Malgatina) are strongly punctured bees with dark, metallic blue or purple integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
that is deeply punctatepunctate:
studded with tiny holes
. The length of the forewing is 4–5 mm long (Pauly et al. 2001Pauly et al. 2001:
Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen amp; Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1ndash;406.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Pauly et al. 2001Pauly et al. 2001:
Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen amp; Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1ndash;406.; Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.):

• Area between the eyes and the antenna insertion with a carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  that curves inward towards the ocelliocelli:
  simple light reception organs; bees have three of them at the top of their head
  .
• Mid tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with a small dorsaldorsal:
  in general, the upper surface
  spine.
• Supraclypeal area supraclypeal area:
  the region of the head between the antennal sockets and clypeus, demarcated on the sides by the subantennal sutures
  convexconvex:
  curved outward
  .
• T6 of both sexes without median carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  or keel.
• Female with graduligraduli:
  A transverse line on abdominal segments of some bees that is formed by a groove or a step between two regions that differ in height. This line can be well developed and present across the entire segment but can also be diminished or absent through part of the segment, requiring close inspection.
  present on T1–T4 and S1–S4.
• Male with graduligraduli:
  A transverse line on abdominal segments of some bees that is formed by a groove or a step between two regions that differ in height. This line can be well developed and present across the entire segment but can also be diminished or absent through part of the segment, requiring close inspection.
  present on T1–T6 and S1–S4.
• 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 posterior margin slightly elongated.
• Male genitaliagenitalia:
  all the genital structures collectively
  with the apexapex:
  end of any structure
  of gonocoxitegonocoxite:
  basal part of the appendage formed on each side of the male genitalia. It can be partly or completely fused to the gonostylus at the apical portion of the appendage, often making the two segments indistinguishable.
  strongly dilated and gonostylusgonostylus:
  the apical-most appendage of the male genitalia, which is usually quite hairy
  short, wide, and hooked, and without dense pubescencepubescence:
  short, fine hair
  .

May be confused with

Ceratina (Malgatina) can be confused with species of Ceratina (Euceratina) because of its metallic and densely punctatepunctate:
studded with tiny holes
integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
. Females of the subgenus Ceratina (Malgatina) differ by the absence of a median carinacarina:
a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
on 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
. Males of the subgenus Ceratina (Malgatina) do not have an elevation or protuberanceprotuberance:
rising or produced above the surface or the general level of a feature
medially on 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
— a feature that is very pronounced in Ceratina (Euceratina) (Pauly et al. 2001Pauly et al. 2001:
Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen amp; Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1ndash;406.).

Host associations

Ceratina (Malgatina) azurea have been found visiting flowers of Acacia farnesiana (Fabaceae), Emilia citrina, E. humifusa (Asteraceae), and Rubus sp. (Rosaceae) (Pauly et al. 2001Pauly et al. 2001:
Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen amp; Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1ndash;406.).

Nesting behavior

Nests of C. azurea have been found on pithy stems of Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), a species of plant native to the American tropics and introduced in Madagascar (Pauly et al. 2001Pauly et al. 2001:
Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen amp; Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1ndash;406.).

Diversity

Ceratina (Malgatina) is monotypic; the only known species is Ceratina azurea (Pauly et al. 2001Pauly et al. 2001:
Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen amp; Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1ndash;406.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

Ceratina (Malgatina) has only been found in Madagascar (Pauly et al. 2001Pauly et al. 2001:
Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen amp; Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1ndash;406.).

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

References

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

Pauly A., Brooks R.W., Nilsson L.A., Apesenko Y., Eardley C.D., Terzo M., Griswold T., Schwarz M., Munzinger J., and Y. Barbier. 2001. Hymenoptera Apoidea de Madagascar et des Iles Voisines. Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen & Annales Sciences Zoologiques 286: 1–406.