Xylocopa bombylans
Encyclopedia
The peacock carpenter bee, Xylocopa bombylans, is a species of carpenter bee
found in Australia
. It gets its common name by its habit of burrowing into wood.
It was originally described by Danish naturalist they are bees O_o beJohan Christian Fabricius
in 1775. Its specific epithet is the Latin
"like a bumblebee". The name is derived from the Ancient Greek
/ "wood-cutter".
As its name implies, the peacock carpenter bee is a metallic blue-green or green in colour, although it may even appear purplish from some angles. A large stocky bee, it is often heard by its loud low-pitched buzzing while flying between flowers. The male has white face markings. The bee does have a sting which is potentially painful, although no stings have been recorded.
The natural distribution is from the Cape York Peninsula
in north Queensland south along the eastern seaboard to the Sydney region (where it overlaps with X. aeratus
). They can be seen from spring to autumn, commonly feeding at pea flowers of the family Fabaceae
, such as Gompholobium
species, including Gompholobium latifolium
in spring, and Pultenaea elliptica in autumn. It is a pollinator of Melastoma affine
. Other flowers visited include those of Banksia, Xanthorrhoea, Hardenbergia violacea
, Tristania
, Leptospermum
, Aotus, Cassia and Leucopogon
.
The Peacock carpenter bee nests by hollowing out stalks of grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea
), or soft wood such as Banksia
, Casuarina
, Melaleuca
and Leptospermum. The female excavates a tunnel with her jaws and picks up and dumps the wood shavings outside. The hollow can reach 30 centimetres (11.8 in) long by 11–14 mm (0.433070866141732–0.551181102362205 ) in diameter. Larger pieces of wood may allow for multiple tunnels. Several female bees may use a nest, one breeding and the others guarding. A bee defends the 7 millimetre wide entrance by blocking it with its abdomen (compare Allodapula
). Both male and female bees may overwinter within the tunnels. The tunnels are partitioned into several cells, where the mother bee lays an egg in each accompanied by provisions of nectar and pollen.
Carpenter bee
Carpenter bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. There are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 subgenera...
found in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It gets its common name by its habit of burrowing into wood.
It was originally described by Danish naturalist they are bees O_o beJohan Christian Fabricius
Johan Christian Fabricius
Johan Christian Fabricius was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others...
in 1775. Its specific epithet is the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
"like a bumblebee". The name is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
/ "wood-cutter".
As its name implies, the peacock carpenter bee is a metallic blue-green or green in colour, although it may even appear purplish from some angles. A large stocky bee, it is often heard by its loud low-pitched buzzing while flying between flowers. The male has white face markings. The bee does have a sting which is potentially painful, although no stings have been recorded.
The natural distribution is from the Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
in north Queensland south along the eastern seaboard to the Sydney region (where it overlaps with X. aeratus
Xylocopa aeratus
The Golden-green carpenter bee, Xylocopa aeratus, is one of two species of carpenter bee found in the Sydney region. It gets its common name by its habit of burrowing into wood.It was originally described by F. Smith in 1851 as Lestis aeratus...
). They can be seen from spring to autumn, commonly feeding at pea flowers of the family Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
, such as Gompholobium
Gompholobium
Gompholobium is a genus in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae.The genus is endemic to Australia.Species include:*Gompholobium aristatum Benth.*Gompholobium aspalathoides A.Cunn...
species, including Gompholobium latifolium
Gompholobium latifolium
Gompholobium latifolium is a small shrub which is endemic to Australia. It is a member of the family Fabaceae and of the genus Gompholobium. It was first described by James Edward Smith in 1805....
in spring, and Pultenaea elliptica in autumn. It is a pollinator of Melastoma affine
Melastoma affine
Melastoma affine, also known by the common names Blue Tongue or Native Lassiandra ,Nekkarika in Kannada, is a shrub of the Melastomataceae family. Distributed in tropical and sub-tropical forests of India, South-east Asia and Australia, it is a plant of rainforest margins...
. Other flowers visited include those of Banksia, Xanthorrhoea, Hardenbergia violacea
Hardenbergia violacea
Hardenbergia violacea is a species of Australian flowering plant, known in Australia by the common names false sarsaparilla, purple coral pea, happy wanderer, native lilac and waraburra . It often grows as a climbing vine, but also as a subshrub.It is used as a landscape plant in the southwestern U.S...
, Tristania
Tristania
Tristania is a monotypic genus, native to New South Wales, Australia, closely related to Cistemon. The genus had a number of species, but some have been reclassified as Lophostemon and Tristaniopsis....
, Leptospermum
Leptospermum
Leptospermum is a genus of about 80-86 species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent; but one species extends to New Zealand, another to Malaysia, and L. recurvum is endemic to Malaysia.They...
, Aotus, Cassia and Leucopogon
Leucopogon
Leucopogon is a genus of about 150-160 species of shrubby flowering plants belonging to the family Ericaceae, in the section of that family formerly treated as the separate family Epacridaceae. They are native to Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, the western Pacific Islands and Malaysia, with...
.
The Peacock carpenter bee nests by hollowing out stalks of grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea
Xanthorrhoea
Xanthorrhoea is a genus of flowering plants native to Australia and a member of family Xanthorrhoeaceae, being the only member of subfamily Xanthorrhoeoideae. The Xanthorrhoeaceae are monocots, part of order Asparagales. There are 28 species and five subspecies of Xanthorrhoea.-Description:All are...
), or soft wood such as Banksia
Banksia
Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...
, Casuarina
Casuarina
Casuarina is a genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera .They are evergreen shrubs and trees growing to 35 m tall...
, Melaleuca
Melaleuca
Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...
and Leptospermum. The female excavates a tunnel with her jaws and picks up and dumps the wood shavings outside. The hollow can reach 30 centimetres (11.8 in) long by 11–14 mm (0.433070866141732–0.551181102362205 ) in diameter. Larger pieces of wood may allow for multiple tunnels. Several female bees may use a nest, one breeding and the others guarding. A bee defends the 7 millimetre wide entrance by blocking it with its abdomen (compare Allodapula
Allodapula bee
Allodapula is a genus of bees in the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae. They are similar in appearance, around 7mm in length, with swarthy head and thorax, contrasting with the brown abdomen...
). Both male and female bees may overwinter within the tunnels. The tunnels are partitioned into several cells, where the mother bee lays an egg in each accompanied by provisions of nectar and pollen.