Biluna

Taxonomy

Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Xylocopini
Genus: Xylocopa
Subgenus: Biluna, Hurd and Moure 1963Hurd and Moure 1963:
Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.
Common name: Carpenter bee

Background

Xylocopa (Biluna) are large bees, 26 – 30 mm in length, with elongated bodies and black integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
. They have black hair on the underside of their abdomen and thorax, and on their legs. Their wings have an iridescent coloring that ranges from blue or purple at the base to yellow or amber at the tips (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Diversity

Xylocopa (Biluna) contains 8 species (Hurd and Moure 1963Hurd and Moure 1963:
Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.).

Distribution

Found natively in Southeast Asia from Southern China to Eastern Indonesia and the Philippines (Hurd and Moure 1963Hurd and Moure 1963:
Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopine) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.). Invasive populations of Xylocopa tranquebarorum have also established in central Japan (Okabe et al. 2010Okabe et al. 2010:
Okabe, K., H. Masuya, K. Kawazoe, and S. Makino. 2010. Invasion pathway and potential risks of a bamboo-nesting carpenter bee, Xylocopa tranquebarorum (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and its micro-associated mite introduced into Japan. Applied Entomology and Zoology 45(2): 329-337.).

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

Host associations

Xylocopa (Biluna) seems to prefer pollinating the flowers of large trees within their environment. In Thailand, it was observed that 40.2% of the pollen found on members of X. (Biluna) was from the family Fagaceae (Hongjamrassilp and Warrit 2014Hongjamrassilp and Warrit 2014:
Hongjamrassilp, W. and N. Warrit. 2014. Xylocopa ( Biluna ) nasalis Westwood, 1838, in Thailand (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 41: 75-94.).

Diagnostic characteristics

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

• Anterior anterior:
  toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
  ocellus bounded on each side by impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  , crescent-shaped swelling.
• Parapsidal line parapsidal line:
  the line that runs submedially along the scutum and corresponds to the median border of the site of origin for flight muscles
  usually elongate-linear, but if short, then situated well behind posterior end of median scutal line.
• First submarginal cross vein strongly slanting, second submarginal cell thus more than twice as long on posterior margin as on anterioranterior:
  toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
  margin.
• Male T1T1:
  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 subhorizontal dorsaldorsal:
  in general, the upper surface
  surface sloping or rounding into declivous anterioranterior:
  toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
  surface.
• Male antennocular distance nearly two or more times length of subantennal suturesubantennal suture:
  the groove extending from each antennal socket down to the epistomal suture
  .
• Male basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  absent.
• Male middle tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  rounded at apexapex:
  end of any structure
  , without teeth.
• Female pygidial platepygidial plate:
  unusually flat area (a plate) surrounded by a ridge or line and sometimes sticking well off of the end of the bee; if present, found on the sixth upper abdominal segment in females, seventh in males
  or spine armed on each side with subapicalsubapical:
  located just behind the apex of the segment or body part
  spine.
• Female hind tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  rounded or armed with single tooth or spiniform process at the apexapex:
  end of any structure
  .
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  at apexapex:
  end of any structure
  ; rear basalbasal:
  originating at the foundation of a structure
  angle of mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  before posterior margin of eye.
• Female basitibial platebasitibial plate:
  a small plate at the base of the hind tibia, like a kneecap
  entire, arising much before middle of tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  .

Nesting behavior

Xylocopa (Biluna) species nest in bamboo. Females bore into the side of the bamboo and then use excavated particles to construct nest cell partitions inside of the bamboo. Females are known to block the entrances of their nests with their heads (Hongjamrassilp and Warrit 2014Hongjamrassilp and Warrit 2014:
Hongjamrassilp, W. and N. Warrit. 2014. Xylocopa ( Biluna ) nasalis Westwood, 1838, in Thailand (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 41: 75-94.).

Known invasives

Xylocopa tranquebarorum has established in central Japan. It is suspected that the species migrated to Japan through shipments of bamboo from either China, Taiwan, or Vietnam sometime between 1981 and 2006. Xylocopa tranquebarorum nests primarily in dead pieces of bamboo that suggests it could cause structural damage to buildings constructed with bamboo (Okabe et al. 2010Okabe et al. 2010:
Okabe, K., H. Masuya, K. Kawazoe, and S. Makino. 2010. Invasion pathway and potential risks of a bamboo-nesting carpenter bee, Xylocopa tranquebarorum (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and its micro-associated mite introduced into Japan. Applied Entomology and Zoology 45(2): 329-337.).

References

Hongjamrassilp, W. and N. Warrit. 2014. Xylocopa (Biluna) nasalis Westwood, 1838, in Thailand (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Xylocopinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 41: 75-94.

Hurd, P.D. and J.S. Moure. 1963. A Classification of the Large Carpenter Bees (Xylocopini) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology (Vol. 29). Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 365 pp.

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

Okabe, K., H. Masuya, K. Kawazoe, and S. Makino. 2010. Invasion pathway and potential risks of a bamboo-nesting carpenter bee, Xylocopa tranquebarorum (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and its micro-associated mite introduced into Japan. Applied Entomology and Zoology 45(2): 329-337.