page_title: Xylocopa sulcatipes
section_title: Description and identification
hierarchical_section_title: Xylocopa sulcatipes / Description and identification
caption_attribution_description: English: Faces of the Xylocopa sulcatipes female (left) and male (right)
context_page_description: Xylocopa sulcatipes is a large Arabian carpenter bee. These multivoltine bees are known to take part in social nesting and cooperative nesting. These metasocial carpenter bees nest in thin dead branches. One or more cooperating females build many brood cells. They have been extensively studied in Saudi Arabia and Israel.
context_section_description: X. sulcatipes differs from other Arabian carpenter bees. Females are distinguishable by the presence of black pubescence -short matted hairs - on the face and the back side of the mesosoma.The mesoscutellum, or female middle body shield,does not extend over the metanotum, or middle thorax. Finally, the apical margin, the lower part of the abdomen, is rounded, as opposed to squared off. Lastly, they have a plate on their pygidium, their lowermost abdominal section.
  Males are covered in a dark to black pubescence, with the exception of the face. The middle section, at the back, is mostly light or pale. The first metasomal tergum, or back, with subhorizontal dorsal surface rounds into the anterior surface.
  X. sulcatipes eggs measure around 11 mm in length and 2.2 mm in diameter. Adults are approximately 22 mm in length.
caption: Faces of the X. sulcatipes female (left) and male (right)
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