Ceratina cyanea
Ceratina cyanea | |
---|---|
Ceratina cf. cyanea on Asphodelus macrocarpus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Apidae |
Genus: | Ceratina |
Subgenus: | Euceratina |
Species: | C. cyanea |
Binomial name | |
Ceratina cyanea (Kirby, 1802) [1] | |
Ceratina cyanea, common name blue carpenter bee, is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae.
Description
Ceratina cyanea can reach a length of 5–9 millimetres (0.20–0.35 in) (females) and 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in) (males).[2] Head, chest and abdomen show a metallic blue colour.[2][3] These bees have three submarginal cells in forewings,[4] club-shaped antennae[2] and a long thin tongue.[2] The scutellum is densely punctured. The seventh tergite has a deep saddle and ends in two points.[5][6]
The blue carpenter bees fly from mid-March to mid-October,[2] collecting pollen at various families of plants, especially knapweed (Centaurea), yellow composites (Asteraceae) and Lotus (Fabaceae).[7]
Females nest in the vertical or slanted dead plant stems,[3][7] such as thistles, blackberries (Rubus species),[3] elderberries (Sambucus species) and roses.[2][3] Then they provide the cells with a mixture of regurgitated nectar and pollen to feed the larvae.[2] Adult males and females overwinter inside their cells into the stems. Often several insects spend the winter together.[2]
Habitat
This undemanding species colonize both dry habitats and wetlands. It inhabits forest edges, thickets and gardens.[2][7]
Distribution
This species is present in most of Western Europe, in North West Africa and in the East Palaearctic ecozone (excluding China).[1][5][8]
References
- 1 2 Biolib
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Naturspaziergang
- 1 2 3 4 British Journal of Entomology and Natural History - Volume 8 - 1995
- ↑ John L. Capinera - Encyclopedia of Entomology
- 1 2 Révision des Xylocopinae (Hymenoptera : Apidae) de France et de Belgique
- ↑ Felix Amiet, M. Herrmann, A. Müller, R. Neumeyer: Fauna Helvetica 20: Apidae 5. Centre Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune, 2007
- 1 2 3 Essex Field Club
- ↑ Global species