A new ‘lucifer’ bee with devil-like horns has been discovered in Western Australia, marking the first new species in its group in over 20 years.
PERTH: Australian scientists have discovered a new species of bee with distinctive devil-like facial horns.
Named Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, the insect was found in Western Australia by Curtin University researchers.
Doctoral candidate Kit Prendergast discovered the bee while surveying a critically endangered wildflower in 2019.
“The female had these incredible little horns on her face,” Prendergast said.
Inspired by the Netflix TV show “Lucifer”, she found the name perfectly matched the bee’s devilish appearance.
“It’s the first new member of this bee group to be described in more than 20 years, which really shows how much life we still have to discover,” Prendergast added.
The discovery highlights the importance of surveying for native bees in areas threatened by mining activities.
“Many mining companies still don’t survey for native bees, so we may be missing undescribed species, including those that play crucial roles in supporting threatened plants and ecosystems,” Prendergast explained.
“Without knowing which native bees exist and what plants they depend on, we risk losing both before we even realise they’re there.”
Almost all flowering plants depend on wild pollinators like bees for reproduction.
Habitat loss and climate change are pushing many vital pollinator species toward extinction. – AFP
