Lithurgus chrysurus

Fonscolombe, 1834

Mediterranean wood-boring bee, Golden-tailed Woodborer

Lithurgus chrysurus is a wood-nesting megachilid native 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 silk-lined cocoons for larvae.

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. Native to Mediterranean woodlands; occupy similar wooded in introduced range.

Distribution

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

Seasonality

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

Life Cycle

Complete with , larval, prepupal, and stages. Larvae develop within individual provisioned with pollen and nectar, then spin silk cocoons for . Cocoon structure comprises an outer layer of oriented, birefringent silk protein 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 silk cocoons 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 cocoon lacking secretions.
Cavity-nesting Megachilidae (e.g., Osmia, Megachile)Similar -level traits in larval provisioning and cocoon 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 cocoon wall contains macromolecularly oriented, positively birefringent silk protein 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-native in North America, with multiple studies focusing on nesting in its introduced range. Native Mediterranean serve as reference for comparing behavioral plasticity.