‘Devilish’: New Bee Species with Horns Discovered in WA
A newly identified native bee species, notable for its tiny “horns” and named after the devil, has been found in Western Australia’s Goldfields region.
Discovery and Naming
This unique flying pollinator was discovered during a survey targeting the critically endangered wildflower Marianthus aquilonarius, native only to the Bremer Range area, about 100 km west of Norseman.
Native bee scientist Dr. Kit Prendergast named the insect Megachili (Hackeriapis) Lucifer, drawing inspiration from its distinctive horned appearance and a popular Netflix series.
“These horns are very distinct and devilish, I wanted to call it a devil-like name and so I decided Lucifer.” — Dr. Kit Prendergast
“Lucifer means light bringer in Latin — I want to bring light to these issues around the lack of conservation of native bees, how many species are undescribed and how many threatened plants which we haven’t identified their pollinators. Also, I love the Netflix show Lucifer.” — Dr. Kit Prendergast
Research and Conservation Efforts
The survey was carried out in 2019, but the bee was only formally classified recently after securing funding and further study.
Dr. Prendergast, an adjunct research fellow at Curtin University, explained the goal of creating a genetic library of Australian native bee species.
“We want to create a library with all the DNA barcodes of Australian native bee species, so I barcoded it, and it didn’t match anything. It’d been on my mind for years.” — Dr. Kit Prendergast
This discovery highlights the urgency for better conservation of native bees and the plants they pollinate, many of which remain understudied.
Author’s summary: A newly found horned native bee in Western Australia named ‘Lucifer’ raises awareness about the many undiscovered and threatened native bee species and their essential role in pollination.