A review of the Xylocopa species (Hymenoptera : Apidae) of Israel

In this paper we list ten Xylocopa species from Israel, X. fenestrata, X. iris, X. olivieri, X. pubescens, X. rufa, X. sulcatipes, X. ustulata, X. valga, X. varentzowi and X. violacea. The distribution in Israel of the newly recorded species X. ustulata, a widespread, mainly African species that reaches its northern distribution limit in southern Israel, and X. varentzowi, an Irano–Turanian species that reaches its western distribution limit in northern Israel, is published for the first time. We provide a key for the ten Israeli species, and in order to prevent further confusion, we include also the Afrotropical X. hottentotta , since various Ctenoxylocopa from western Asia, including Israel, were often misidentified with this species in faunistic reports. In addition, information is given on the species’ geographical distribution, worldwide and in Israel, as reported in the literature and recorded in the National Collections of Natural History at Tel Aviv University (TAUI).