Australian scientists have discovered a new species of native bee with tiny horns and given it a truly evil name.
Researchers discovered Megachile Lucifer while observing a rare wildflower that only grows in the Bremer Ranges in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, 470 km (292 miles) east of Perth.
The “prominent and very distinctive horns” are found only on the female bee and may be used as a defense mechanism, to collect pollen or nectar, or to collect materials such as resin for nests.
The study’s lead scientist said she was inspired by the name Lucifer while watching the Netflix show of the same name. She adds that this is the first new member of this group of bees in 20 years.
“The female had these incredible little horns on her face,” said Dr Kit Prendergast from Curtin University.
“When I wrote the description of the new species, I was watching the Netflix show Lucifer at the time, and the name fit perfectly. I’m also a big fan of the Netflix character Lucifer, so it was a no-brainer.”
Lucifer – which means “bringer of light” in Latin – also refers to the need to better conserve native bee species and better understand how endangered plants are pollinated, she said.
The report, published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, also calls for the area in and around which the new bee species and rare wildflowers were discovered to be “formally protected and classified as conservation land that cannot be cleared.”
“As the new species was found in the same small area as the endangered wildflower, both could be threatened by habitat disruption and other threatening processes like climate change,” she said, adding that many mining companies do not include native bees when assessing the environmental impact of their operations.
“So we may be missing undescribed species, including those that play crucial roles in supporting threatened plants and ecosystems.
“Without knowing which native bees exist and which plants they depend on, we risk losing both before we even realize they are there.”
