Broad-handed carpenter bee (Xylocopa latipes)

Broad-handed carpenter bee (Xylocopa latipes) is an animal species in the Apidae, tropical wood bees, very large, strong, solitary lives and builds nests by burrowing into fallen trees to telephone poles in forests and cities with warm tropical climates.

X. latipes is overall black and shiny with black wings that turn bluish or greenish or metallic purple in sunlight. A pair of large eyes and a pair of antennae have broad bases.

The back has a horizontal line. The abdomen is oval in shape with segments, the margins are wide and the back has thick hair. The broad-handed carpenter bee produces a loud, distinctive low-pitched hum that can be heard in flight.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Hymenoptera
Suborder: Apocrita
Infraorder: Aculeata
Superfamily: Apoidea
Epifamily: Anthophila
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Xylocopinae
Tribe: Xylocopini
Genus: Xylocopa
Subgenus: Platynopoda
Species: Xylocopa latipes

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