New 'Lucifer Bee' species discovered in Australia
Lucifer, a native bee, has devilish horns that separate its look from other bee species.
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The nicknamed "Lucifer" bee, or Megachile lucifer, was discovered 2019 in the Goldfields region of western Australia, according to a new study released Monday in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research. (Photo Credit: Kit S. Prendergast; Joshua W. Campbell)
Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A new species of bee in Australia has been discovered, named for its unique devil-like features.
The nicknamed "Lucifer" bee, or Megachile lucifer, was discovered in 2019 in the Goldfields region of western Australia while scientists were in the middle of surveying an endangered wildflower, according to a new study released Monday by Journal of Hymenoptera Research.
Lucifer, a native bee, has devilish horns that separate its look from other bee species.
"When writing up the new species description, I was watching the Netflix show Lucifer at the time, and the name just fit perfectly," said Kit Pendergast, the study's lead author and adjunct research fellow at Curtin University.
A DNA test proved it did not belong to any other known species.
The study's authors wrote that Australia is "facing a pollination crisis, with related crises relating to a lack of information on the pollinators of plants, and the taxonomic impediment."
"For many critically endangered plants, their visitors are unknown, jeopardizing our ability to conserve their populations," the study said.
It also noted that the Australian native bee fauna was threatened by a lack of monitoring, and many other regions have not even been surveyed.
Whilst many native bees remain undescribed," according to the study.
A new discovery of bee species is not entirely uncommon.
In 2011, 11 new species were discovered in the eastern parts of the United States and New York by Cornell University researchers.
Utah, aptly named the "Beehive State," is home to more than 600 various bee species.
Nine new desert bee species were discovered in 2016 after researchers at Utah State University revealed the new find of bees that look like ants.
A 2018 survey revealed a further 49 new species in Utah.
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