Xylocopinae
Encyclopedia
The subfamily Xylocopinae occurs worldwide, and includes the familiar Carpenter bee
s and their more obscure relatives; there are many species, but relatively few genera (only 4 genera outside of the allodapines
). The tribes within the subfamily other than Xylocopini consist mostly of small, relatively hairless, shiny bees, whose close relationship to the large, hairy carpenter bees is not easily apparent. The vast majority make nests in dead wood, stems, or pith, and while many are solitary, a fair number are communal or subsocial
, and there are some genera of allodapines which commonly form eusocial colonies.
Carpenter bee
Carpenter bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. There are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 subgenera...
s and their more obscure relatives; there are many species, but relatively few genera (only 4 genera outside of the allodapines
Allodapini
The Allodapini is a tribe of bees in the family Apidae, subfamily Xylocopinae, occurring throughout Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australasia.Many of the species in the tribe form small social colonies where a group of females cooperatively care for the developing larvae...
). The tribes within the subfamily other than Xylocopini consist mostly of small, relatively hairless, shiny bees, whose close relationship to the large, hairy carpenter bees is not easily apparent. The vast majority make nests in dead wood, stems, or pith, and while many are solitary, a fair number are communal or subsocial
Subsociality
Subsociality is a term used simply to refer to when an organism exhibits any form of parental behaviour. It is the most common and widespread form of sociality. In many species the mother, father or both parents either care for the young directly, or simply build a nest....
, and there are some genera of allodapines which commonly form eusocial colonies.