Arthropods • Earth.com

Xylocopa rufitarsis

(Xylocopa rufitarsis)

Description

Xylocopa rufitarsis, the red-leg carpenter bee, is a species of carpenter bee native to South Africa. It has been assigned to the subgenus Xylomelissa. It was seen to visit flowers of a wide range of plants, many of them Fabaceae such as Acacia karroo, Aspalathus linearis, A. spinescens, Calpurnia glabrata, Lebeckia multiflora, Lebeckia sericea, peas (Pisum sativum) and Tipuana tipu, but also Agave sp., Anchusa capensis, Hermannia gariepina, Lobostemon trichotomus, Moraea cookii, Populus sp., Prenia pallens, Zygophyllum morgsana, Salvia dentata and other Lamiaceae. Nests of been found in Metalasia muricata, Psoralea aphylla and Pinus sp. They are parasitized by Anthrax badius.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Insecta
Order:Hymenoptera
Family:Apidae
Genus:Xylocopa
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