National Institute for Environmental Studies Invasive Species of Japan Japanese | English
  1. Invasive Species of Japan >
  2. Insects >
  3. Xylocopa tranquebarorum

Xylocopa tranquebarorum

Basic information
Scientific name Xylocopa tranquebarorum

Click to magnify

タイワンタケクマバチ
Common names Taiwanese bamboo carpenter bee
Higher taxon Apidae, Apoidea, Hymenoptera
Natural range Taiwan, southern continental China to India
Habitat Nesting on dead bamboo. This species occurs in bamboo forest, bamboo storage, houses and farm areas with bamboo fence, etc.
Invasion information
Range in Japan Saitama, Kanagawa, Ishikawa, Fukui, Yamanashi, Nagano, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, Nara, Mie, Kyoto, Hyogo，Shiga, Tottori Pref. Range in Japan
Origin Possibly continental China.
Date The first record in Japan was in 2006 at Toyota, Aichi Pref.
Route Accidentally: Hitchhiking on imported bamboo lumber.
Impact Potentially: Parasitic mite Senneritia sp. hitchhiking on this species can also be parasitic on a native species Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans. Decline of quality of bamboo by nesting. Stinging bamboo users.
Native organism(s) affected: Xylocopa appendiculata circumvolans
Regulation in Japan Release of this species is prohibited in Aichi Pref. Import of honeybees to Japan is regulated (the Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control Law).
Introduced range in other countries None.
Reference Notes
  • Maeta et al. (1996) Additional notes on the nesting habits of the Taiwanese bamboo carpenter bee, Xylocopa (Biluna) tranquebarorum tranquebarorum (Hymenoptera, Anthophoridae). Jpn J Entomol. 64(3), 669-680.
  • Okabe (2010) Exotic forest species unintentionally introduced into Japan —A case study of the bamboo nesting carpenter bee and its associated mite—. Jpn J Int Forest Forestry. 79, 31-35 (in Jpn)
  • Okabe et al. (2010) Invasion pathway and potential risks of a bamboo-nesting carpenter bee, Xylocopa tranquebarorum (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and its micro-associated mite introduced into Japan. Appl Entomol Zool. 45(2), 329-337.
  • Okabe & Makino (2005) Mite faunas and morphology of Acarinaria on Japanese and Taiwanese large carpenter bees (Hymenoptera : Apidae). Jpn J Acarol. 14(2), 105-115.
  • Animal Quarantine Service.Laws and Regulations (Accessed on 2012-5-11) http://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/laws.html
  • etc.
  • Yokohama hachikujo honpo(Accessed on 2023-8-22)https://hachikujo-honpo.com/blog_/5658/