About Xylocopa darwini Cockerell, 1926
The Galápagos carpenter bee, with the scientific name Xylocopa darwini Cockerell, 1926, is the only native bee species on the Galápagos Islands; the leaf-cutter bee and wool carder bee found here are introduced species. This species is sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females have different appearances. Females are dark and shiny with black setae, and can commonly be found throughout the year. Males are rarer, have black abdomens, and have yellow-brown setae. One rare specimen held in the Smithsonian collection displays gynandromorphism: its left side is visually female, while its right side is visually male. This species is distributed across 9 of the 12 largest islands in the Galápagos archipelago, but is not present on all islands of the group. The nine islands it inhabits are Isabela, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santiago, Fernandina, Floreana, Genovesa, Santa Fe, and Española.
