Author: Latreille, 1802

Type species: Apis violacea Linnaeus, 1758, by designation of Westwood, 1840: 86.
Subgenera: Afroxylocopa Hurd and Moure, 1963; Copoxylocopa Maa, 1954; Koptorthosoma Gribodo, 1894; Proxylocopa Hedicke, 1938; Rhysoxylocopa Hurd and Moure, 1963; Xylocopa s. str. Latreille, 1802; Xylocopoides Michener, 1954.
Synonyms: Koptorthosoma Dalla Torre, 1896; Cyaneoderes Ashmead, 1899; Coptorthosoma Pérez, 1901; Euryapis Sandhouse, 1943; Xilocopa Latreille, 1802.
Clade: Anthophila
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Xylocopini
Distinctive traits
  • Large to very large species
  • Black or brown cuticle, with sometime yellow hairs
  • 3 submarginal cells
  • submarginal cell 3 being much larger than cell 2
  • 2 spines  on the external side of the posterior tibia under a sculptured area.
Pictures of distinctive traits.
Morphologically close genera and how to distinguish them:
Xylocopa species could be confused with other large black bees if looked upon only superficially.
  • Xylocopa - Andrena
Xylocopa species have submarginal cell 3 much larger than submarginal cell 2, and only one subantennal suture.
Andrena species have submarginal cell 3 smaller than submarginal cell 2, and two subantennal sutures.
General comments on Xylocopa species identification
Some of the european Xylocopa species can readily be identified using the yellow hairs patterns. The dark species require more subtle traits such as ones related to the pygidial plate.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Xylocopa. 
Please check the reference(s) at the bottom of the page for traditional keys.
List of the 10 Xylocopa species found in Europe (UICN 2014 + Rasmont et al. 2017)
Xylocopa (Afroxylocopa) nigrita (Fabricius 1775)
Xylocopa (Copoxylocopa) iris (Christ 1791)
Xylocopa (Koptorthosoma) pubescens Spinola 1838
Xylocopa (Koptorthosoma) caffra (Linnaeus 1767)
Xylocopa (Proxylocopa) olivieri Lepeletier 1841
Xylocopa (Rhysoxylocopa) amedaei Lepeletier 1841
Xylocopa (Rhysoxylocopa) cantabrina Lepeletier 1841
Xylocopa (Xylocopa) valga Gerstaecker 1872
Xylocopa (Xylocopa) violacea Linnaeus 1758
Xylocopa (Xylocopoides) virginica (Linnaeus 1771)
References with identification keys for some of the species:
  • Amiet, F., Herrmann, M., Müller, A., & Neumeyer, R. (2007). Apidae 5: Ammobates, Ammobatoides, Anthophora, Biastes, Ceratina, Dasypoda, Epeoloides, Epeolus, Eucera, Macropis, Melecta, Melitta, Nomada, Pasites, Tetralonia, Thyreus, Xylocopa (Vol. 5). Centre suisse de cartographie de la faune.
  • Terzo, M., Iserbyt, S., & Rasmont, P. (2007). Révision des Xylocopinae (Hymenoptera: Apidae) de France et de Belgique. In Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 43(4) : 445-491.
  • Falk S.J. (2015) Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury wildlife guides. 432 p.
Online resources:
Atlas hymenoptera (Europe & France)
BWARS (UK)
Discover Life (World)
WestPalBees (West Palearctic)
Page contributors:
  • Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2019)

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References used to write this page:
  • Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World, 2nd Edition. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
  • Michez D., Rasmont P., Terzo, M., Vereecken, N. 2019. Abeilles d'Europes. Hymenoptères d'Europes, Volume 1. N.A.P. Editions.
  • Nieto, A., Roberts, S. P., Kemp, J., Rasmont, P., Kuhlmann, M., García Criado, M., ... & Michez, D. 2014. European red list of bees. Luxembourg: Publication Office of the European Union, 98.
  •  Rasmont, P., Devalez, Jelle, Pauly, A., Michez, D. & Radchenko, V.G. 2017. Addition to the checklist of IUCN European wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Annales de la Société entomologique de France 53: 17-32.