Ceratina (Neoclavicera)

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Ceratinini
Genus: Ceratina Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Neoclavicera Roig Alsina, 2013
Common name: small carpenter bees

Overview

Ceratina (Neoclavicera) are small to medium-sized bees that usually have dark integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
with olive, blue, or purple metallic reflections, which are sometimes restricted to the abdomen. They often have yellow markings on their clypeusclypeus:
a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
and paraocularparaocular:
the area extending along the sides of the face parallel to the eye
areas and sometimes on their pronotal lobes and legs. Females range in body length from 6.0–9.3 mm; males range from 5.4–7.5 mm. (Roig Alsina 2013Roig Alsina 2013:
Roig Alsina, A. 2013. El geacute;nero Ceratina en la Argentina: revisioacute;n del subgeacute;nero Neoclavicera subg. n. (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 15 (1): 121ndash;143.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Roig Alsina 2013Roig Alsina 2013:
Roig Alsina, A. 2013. El geacute;nero Ceratina en la Argentina: revisioacute;n del subgeacute;nero Neoclavicera subg. n. (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 15 (1): 121ndash;143.)

• Front and middle tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with one apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  spine.
• Graduli present on metasomal segments T2–T4 and S2–S4.
• Paraocular paraocular:
  the area extending along the sides of the face parallel to the eye
  area densely punctatepunctate:
  studded with tiny holes
  .
• Preoccipital carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  present and well-developed.
• Pronotum pronotum:
  a collar-like segment on the thorax and directly behind the head; extends down the sides of the thorax toward the first pair of legs
  with dorsaldorsal:
  in general, the upper surface
  and laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  carinae complete and strongly lamellatelamellate:
  thin, plate-like, often somewhat translucent structure
  laterally.
• Female hind tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with basalbasal:
  originating at the foundation of a structure
  spine present and well developed, male without basitibial spine.
• Female with wax plate on S2S2:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  but not S3S3:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  .
• Male gonostylusgonostylus:
  the apical-most appendage of the male genitalia, which is usually quite hairy
  fused to 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.
  .
• Male mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  with two or three teeth.

May be confused with

Ceratina (Neoclavicera) are similar to the species in Ceratina (Crewella) and Ceratina (Calloceratina) by having a complete carinacarina:
a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
along dorsumdorsum:
in general, the upper surface
of pronotumpronotum:
a collar-like segment on the thorax and directly behind the head; extends down the sides of the thorax toward the first pair of legs
which extends laterally and a well-developed preoccipital carinacarina:
a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
. Ceratina (Neoclavicera) can be separated from the other subgenera by the single apicalapical:
near or at the apex or end of any structure
tooth on the front and mid tibiaetibiae:
the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
, and by the wax plate restricted to the S2S2:
the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
in females.

Host associations

Ceratina asunciana has been observed visiting flowers of Senecio grisebachii (Asteraceae); C. subcarinata visits flowers of Leonurus sibiricus (Lamiaceae), Arctium minus (Asteraceae), and Eupatorium (Asteraceae); Ceratina caveata visits flowers of Senecio sp. (Asteraceae) (Roig Alsina 2013Roig Alsina 2013:
Roig Alsina, A. 2013. El geacute;nero Ceratina en la Argentina: revisioacute;n del subgeacute;nero Neoclavicera subg. n. (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 15 (1): 121ndash;143.).

Nesting behavior

Nesting behavior is unknown, but it is expected that Ceratina (Neoclavicera) nest in pithy stems and twigs, as do most species of the genus Ceratina.

Diversity

Ceratina (Neoclavicera) includes eleven species (Roig Alsina 2013Roig Alsina 2013:
Roig Alsina, A. 2013. El geacute;nero Ceratina en la Argentina: revisioacute;n del subgeacute;nero Neoclavicera subg. n. (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 15 (1): 121ndash;143.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

Ceratina (Neoclavicera) is known only from South America where they are found from Peru and Brazil, south to Argentina and Uruguay (Roig Alsina 2013Roig Alsina 2013:
Roig Alsina, A. 2013. El geacute;nero Ceratina en la Argentina: revisioacute;n del subgeacute;nero Neoclavicera subg. n. (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 15 (1): 121ndash;143.)

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

References

Roig Alsina, A. 2013. El género Ceratina en la Argentina: revisión del subgénero Neoclavicera subg. n. (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 15 (1): 121–143.