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Xylocopa micans Lepeletier 1841
Southern Carpenter Bee
Florida native
Found throughout Florida and the southeastern United States from Texas into Virginia.
One of the large carpenter bees, Xylocopa micans males are very similar to the male eastern carpenter bee (X. virginica) except that X. micans abdomen is greenish-blue, with yellow on the antenna scape. Males of both species have a yellow patch between the eyes, 13 antenna segments and the top of the eyes are set closer together than the females. Female southern carpenter bees have 12 antenna segments and are dark with a purple tint.
The specific name micans is derived from the Latin word for "shining", referring to the appearance of the bee's body, particularly the abdomen.
Xylocopa micans is a member of the Apidae - Bumble bees, Honey bees, and other bees family.
Other species of the Xylocopa genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Xylocopa virginica var. virginica - EASTERN CARPENTER BEE
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net page for this species
Date record last modified: Dec 13, 2023
