An Australian researcher has identified a new species of native bee with tiny horns that give it a “demonic”during a study in the Goldfields mining region, in the west of the country, as reported this Tuesday by Curtin University.
The insect, called “Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer”, takes its name from the Latin term lucifer (“light bearer”) and, in a playful way, from the character of the popular television series of the same name, said the institution, based in Perth (western Australia).
“The female had small horns on her face. At that time I was watching the series ‘Lucifer’ and the name just fit. Plus, I’m a big fan of the character.”explained researcher Kit Prendergast, author of the discovery, cited in the statement.
The scientist specified that DNA tests confirmed that the male and female specimens she found belonged to the same species and that they did not match any registered in databases or museum collections.
The discovery, published in the magazine “Journal of Hymenoptera Research” (Journal of Research on Hymenoptera), focusing on this type of insect, is the first in more than twenty years within this group of bees, and highlights how little is still known about native Australian pollinators.
“This shows that there is still life to be discovered, even in areas threatened by mining, such as the Goldfields”said Prendergast, who warned that the new bee and the flower it pollinates, “Marianthus aquilonarius,” a critically endangered species native to Australia, could be at risk from habitat loss and climate change.
The Goldfields region, located in the outback state of Western Australia, about 600 kilometers east of Perth, is a major center of extraction for gold, nickel and other minerals, but is also home to unique ecosystems, with extensive areas of bushland and desert, where endemic species of flora and fauna survive.
According to the researcher, “Many mining companies still do not carry out studies on native bees, so we could be losing species without even knowing they exist”.
The discovery coincides with Australian Pollinator Week, which celebrates the importance of bees, butterflies and other insects in maintaining ecosystems and producing food.