Ceratina (Simioceratina)

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Ceratinini
Genus: Ceratina Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Simioceratina Daly and Moure, 1988
Common name: small carpenter bees

Overview

Ceratina (Simioceratina) are strongly punctatepunctate:
studded with tiny holes
bees with black integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
, sometimes with pale markings that are limited to the head, pronotal lobes, and legs. Their body length varies between 5–8 mm (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Daly and Moure 1988Daly and Moure 1988:
Daly, H.V. and J.S. Moure. 1988. Bees of the New Genus Ctenoceratina in Africa South of the Sahara (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications- Entomology 108: 1ndash;69.; Eardley and Daly 2007Eardley and Daly 2007:
Eardley, C. and H.V. Daly. 2007. Bees of the genus Ceratina LATREILLE in southern Africa (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Entomofauna- Zeitschrift Fuuml;r Entomologie 13: 1ndash;96.)

• Metanotum metanotum:
  the posterior dorsal segment of the thorax, behind the scutellum
  and propodeumpropodeum:
  the last segment of the thorax
  steeply declivous; propodeumpropodeum:
  the last segment of the thorax
  delimited laterally by a carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  .
• Terga terga:
  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
  and sternasterna:
  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
  with apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  rows of coarse setaesetae:
  a still hair-like structure or bristle
  .
• Female clypeusclypeus:
  a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
  of female distinctly elevated subapically.
• Male mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  with dorsaldorsal:
  in general, the upper surface
  , subapicalsubapical:
  located just behind the apex of the segment or body part
  rudimentary tooth.
• 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
  and 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 a median carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  or keel.
• Male S5S5:
  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
  depressed medially or with two median protuberances.

May be confused with

Ceratina (Simioceratina) resemble species of Ceratina (Ctenoceratina) because both have apicalapical:
near or at the apex or end of any structure
rows of coarse setaesetae:
a still hair-like structure or bristle
on metasomal tergaterga:
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
and sternasterna:
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
. Ceratina (Simioceratina) differ from the latter subgenus by their strongly convexconvex:
curved outward
and elevated scutellumscutellum:
shield shaped plate behind scutum
, the posterior part of which is steeply declivous, and leads into the nearly vertical metanotummetanotum:
the posterior dorsal segment of the thorax, behind the scutellum
and propodeumpropodeum:
the last segment of the thorax
(Eardley and Daly 2007Eardley and Daly 2007:
Eardley, C. and H.V. Daly. 2007. Bees of the genus Ceratina LATREILLE in southern Africa (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Entomofauna- Zeitschrift Fuuml;r Entomologie 13: 1ndash;96.).

Host associations

Sinébou et al. (2016) reported that around 60% of Ceratina (Simioceratina) visiting the tree Vitex doniana (Verbenaceae) carried monospecific pollen loads of this plant. There are unconfirmed reports of this subgenus visiting Sida acuta (Malvaceae), introduced Lamium sp. (Lamiaceae), Rhododendron sp. (Ericaceae), and Antigonon leptopus (Polygonaceae).

Nesting behavior

Ceratina (Simioceratina) species have been found nesting in the dry stems and branches of species in a number of plant families including Asphodelaceae, Bignoniaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Nyctaginaceae, Verbenaceae (Daly and Moure 1988Daly and Moure 1988:
Daly, H.V. and J.S. Moure. 1988. Bees of the New Genus Ctenoceratina in Africa South of the Sahara (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications- Entomology 108: 1ndash;69.). Ceratina (Simioceratina) moerenhouti has been found nesting in aggregation in grass roof thatches made of Hyparrhenia dissoluta (Poaceae) (Daly and Moure 1988Daly and Moure 1988:
Daly, H.V. and J.S. Moure. 1988. Bees of the New Genus Ctenoceratina in Africa South of the Sahara (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications- Entomology 108: 1ndash;69.).

Diversity

Ceratina (Simioceratina) includes three species (Daly 1988Daly 1988:
Daly, H.V. 1988. Bees of the new genus Ctenoceratina in Africa south of the Sahara (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology 108: 1ndash;66.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

Ceratina (Simioceratina) are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa (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

Daly, H.V. and J.S. Moure. 1988. Bees of the New Genus Ctenoceratina in Africa South of the Sahara (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications- Entomology 108: 1–69.

Eardley, C. and H.V. Daly. 2007. Bees of the genus Ceratina Latreille in southern Africa (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Entomofauna –Zeitschrift Für Entomologie 13: 1–96.

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

Sinébou, V., M. Quinet, B.C. Ahohuendo, and A-L. Jacquemart. 2016. Reproductive traits affect he rescue of valuable and endangered multipurpose tropical trees. AoB Plants 8: 1–17.