Xylocopa aeratus
Encyclopedia
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. Its specific epithet is the Latin
adjective aeratus "bronzed".
As its name implies, the Golden-green carpenter bee is a metallic green in colour, although it may appear purplish or bluish from some angles. A large stocky bee, it is often heard by its loud low-pitched buzzing while flying between flowers. The male has yellow face markings. The bee does have a sting which is potentially painful, although no stings have been recorded.
The natural distribution is southeastern New South Wales from Sydney southwards (where it overlaps with X. bombylans
), and into Victoria and southeastern South Australia. 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. Flowers of Leucopogon
and Leptospermum
are also visited.
The Golden-green 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 cm long by 1.1-1.4 cm 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 0.7-1.0 cm 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 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. 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...
adjective aeratus "bronzed".
As its name implies, the Golden-green carpenter bee is a metallic green in colour, although it may appear purplish or bluish from some angles. A large stocky bee, it is often heard by its loud low-pitched buzzing while flying between flowers. The male has yellow face markings. The bee does have a sting which is potentially painful, although no stings have been recorded.
The natural distribution is southeastern New South Wales from Sydney southwards (where it overlaps with X. bombylans
Xylocopa bombylans
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....
), and into Victoria and southeastern South Australia. 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. Flowers of 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...
and 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...
are also visited.
The Golden-green 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 cm long by 1.1-1.4 cm 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 0.7-1.0 cm 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.