Lithurgus chrysurus

Fonscolombe, 1834

Mediterranean wood-boring bee, Golden-tailed Woodborer

Lithurgus chrysurus is a wood-nesting to the Mediterranean region that has established in North America. It is one of the few bees that excavates its own nesting tunnels in wood rather than using pre-existing cavities. The is , producing one per year, and constructs distinctive -lined for .

Lithurgus chrysurus by John Baker. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Lithurgus chrysurus male Mediterranean Wood-boring Bee - Flickr - gailhampshire by gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Lithurgus chrysurus female (24081346673) by gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Lithurgus chrysurus: /lɪˈθɜːrɡəs krɪˈsʊərəs/

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Images

Habitat

Wood-nesting; excavates tunnels in wooden substrates including dead branches, fence posts, and structural timber. to Mediterranean woodlands; occupy similar wooded in range.

Distribution

: Europe and Northern Africa. (): North America, with established documented in the northeastern United States.

Seasonality

; single per year with activity in summer and as prepupal within .

Life Cycle

with , larval, prepupal, and stages. develop within individual provisioned with pollen and nectar, then spin for . Cocoon structure comprises an outer layer of oriented, birefringent silk and an inner parchment-like layer; notably lacks the mucous layer produced by found in other Lithurginae.

Behavior

Excavates nesting tunnels directly into wood using , distinguishing it from most cavity-nesting megachilids that rely on pre-existing holes. Constructs multilayered with regionally variable thickness, particularly thicker at the rear zone.

Human Relevance

may interact with human structures through wood-nesting in fence posts and timber. Not known to be an economically significant pest.

Similar Taxa

Other Lithurgus speciesShare wood-boring nesting habit and Lithurginae characteristics; L. chrysurus distinguished by geographic distribution and specific lacking secretions.
Cavity-nesting Megachilidae (e.g., Osmia, Megachile)Similar -level traits in larval provisioning and construction, but differ fundamentally in nesting : L. chrysurus excavates wood actively rather than using pre-existing cavities.

More Details

Cocoon ultrastructure

Polarization microscopy reveals the wall contains macromolecularly oriented, positively birefringent layers. The rear zone shows complex multilayered thickening. and protein components show distinct topochemical distributions between outer and inner layers.

Adventive status

Documented as non- in North America, with multiple studies focusing on nesting biology in its range. Native Mediterranean serve as reference for comparing behavioral plasticity.