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Hold onto your hats, folks, because just when you thought Australia couldn’t get any more wild, a new “devilish” bee has buzzed onto the scene, complete with tiny horns!
Meet Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, a freshly identified species discovered in Western Australia. This isn’t just any old bee; it’s got a look that’s, well, a little bit naughty, according to Curtin University, who made the announcement on Tuesday.
The credit for this intriguing find goes to Kit Prendergast from the university’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences. While out surveying a critically endangered wildflower back in 2019, her eyes were immediately drawn to a female bee sporting some rather “incredible little horns on her face.”
And for all you Netflix fans out there, Prendergast, a devotee of the show “Lucifer,” felt the name was a perfect fit for this distinctively devilish-looking insect.
To confirm the bee’s unique status, Prendergast used DNA barcoding, which showed no match to any known bees in existing databases. Museum collections also came up empty-handed.
“It’s the first new member of this bee group to be described in more than 20 years,” Prendergast explained, “which really shows how much life we still have to discover.” She hopes this discovery will spark greater awareness about the countless undiscovered species that might still be out there, especially in regions facing threats from climate change and mining.
“Many mining companies still don’t survey for native bees,” she pointed out, “so we may be missing undescribed species, including those that play crucial roles in supporting threatened plants and ecosystems.” Her concern is clear: “Without knowing which native bees exist and what plants they depend on, we risk losing both before we even realize they’re there.”
It’s a stark reminder that nearly all flowering plants rely on wild pollinators, especially bees, but factors like habitat loss and climate change are pushing many vital species dangerously close to extinction.
Coincidentally, the publication of this research aligns perfectly with Australian Pollinator Week, a time dedicated to highlighting the indispensable role bees play in maintaining healthy ecosystems.
The full details of this exciting discovery can be found in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research. So, next time you’re out and about, keep an eye out-you never know what horned, or otherwise incredible, creature might be buzzing by!