Xylocopa californica

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Hymenopterida
Ordo: Hymenoptera
Subordo: Apocrita
Superfamilia: Apoidea

Familia: Apidae
Subfamilia: Xylocopinae
Tribus: Xylocopini
Genus: Xylocopa
Subgenus: Xylocopa (Xylocopoides)
Species: Xylocopa (Xylocopoides) californica Cresson, 1864
Subspecies: X. c. arizonensis – X. c. californica – X. c. diamesa – X. c. texana

The California carpenter bee, Xylocopa californica, is a species of carpenter bee in the order Hymenoptera. It is native to western North America.[1]

Distribution

Xylocopa californica is typically found in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Northwestern Mexico, with outlying records in Montana, Kansas, and Louisiana.[2] It is especially abundant, along with Xylocopa sonorina, in the Central Valley and in Southern California, including the Mojave Desert. They are agriculturally beneficial insects and pollinators of diverse California chaparral and woodlands and desert native plant species.[3][4] This carpenter bee is active during hot seasons.
Description

The California carpenter bee is all black, with bluish/greenish reflections. The males typically have at least a few light hairs on the pronotum (dorsal prothorax) and the abdominal segments.[5]
Subspecies

The species has three named subspecies, defined solely by coloration and geography:[1]

Xylocopa californica arizonensis Cresson, 1879
Xylocopa californica californica Cresson, 1864
Xylocopa californica diamesa Hurd, 1954