Broad-handed carpenter bee, Xylocopa latipes (Emery, 1887) – Sarawak / Borneo – around 600m ASL

Xylocopa latipes (Drury, 1773) is a species of carpenter bee (Apidae) of the genus Xylocopa; evidence of its existence in Borneo includes records from Sarawak. The genus name Xylocopa is derived from ancient Greek (xylokopos, meaning ‘wood cutter’) and refers to nesting in wood. The species epithet latipes is Latin (latus ‘broad’ + pēs “foot”) and means ‘broad-footed’. Ecologically, X. latipes is dependent on the presence of suitable nesting substrates and a sufficient supply of flowers: it has been described that dead wood, pithy stems and bamboo stalks are used as nesting material; the females dig the tunnels with their powerful mandibles and supply the brood cells with a larval food supply of pollen mixed with nectar; the development time until hatching is reported to be approximately two months, and nests can be used repeatedly. In terms of reproductive ecology, it is reported that the species can have several generations per year if resources are sufficient, but fewer if resources are scarce. In terms of food, it is described that females collect pollen and nectar, while males consume nectar; documented pollen plants include Cochlospermum religiosum, Cassia species, Solanum species and Peltophorum pterocarpum. For Borneo, the species is also documented in the context of pollination relationships: in Sabah (Borneo), X. latipes is reported to be an effective pollinator of the Borneo-endemic ginger plant Alpinia nieuwenhuizii (large-flowered populations), and it has been described that X. latipes carries pollen on its back. In agricultural systems within its range, X. latipes is also documented as a pollinator of yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa); in a study from Indonesia, the species was recorded as a frequent flower visitor that consumes nectar and was described as a particularly effective pollinator of the populations studied.