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The subfamily Xylocopinae occurs worldwide, and includes the familiar Carpenter bees and their more obscure relatives; there are many species, but relatively few genera (only 4 genera outside of the allodapines). The tribes within the subfamily other than Xylocopini consist mostly of small, relatively hairless, shiny bees, whose close relationship to the large, hairy carpenter bees is not easily apparent. The vast majority make nests in dead wood, stems, or pith, and while many are solitary, a fair number are communal or subsocial, and there are some genera of allodapines which commonly form eusocial colonies.
[edit] References
- C. D. Michener (2007) The Bees of the World, 2nd Edition, Johns Hopkins University Press.
