Scientists in Australia identified a new species of native bee with tiny devilish horns, for which they received a playful hellish name – “Lucifer”.
View, Megachil Luciferwas discovered by scientists examining a critically endangered wildflower in the Western Australian goldfields in 2019, according to study published Monday in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.
According to Keith Prendergast, lead author of the study and an adjunct research fellow at Curtin University, the very distinctive upward-pointing horns on the female bee's face give it its name.
“When writing a description of a new species[,] I watched a Netflix show Lucifer“Prendergast” says the statement Tuesday. “The name was just perfect.”
DNA analysis later showed that the species did not match any known bees in existing databases, making it the first new member of the group to be described in more than 20 years, the researchers said.
The researchers suggested that the horns, each about 0.9 millimeters long, may be used to access flowers, compete for resources and protect nests, although their precise functions remain unclear. Male bees of this species do not have horns.
The discovery underscored the need to study native bees, Prendergast said, adding that the new species could be at risk from habitat disturbance and other threatening processes such as climate change.
“Without knowing what native bees exist and what plants they depend on, we risk losing both before we even realize they're here,” she said.
According to Australia, there are about 2,000 native bee species, more than 300 of which have not yet been scientifically named or described. KSIROAustralian National Science Agency.
The country's native bees are “understudied and data sparse,” resulting in a lack of knowledge about the conservation status of “almost all species,” Tobias Smith, a bee researcher at the University of Queensland, told NBC News in an email Tuesday.
Australian authorities need “stronger policies” to protect native bees from habitat loss, unsuitable fire regimes and increased risk of large fires, said Smith, who is not involved in the study.
Smith said he encouraged Australians to “go outside, look for native bees and appreciate them.”
