Australian scientists discovers new ‘devil bees’ post Halloween

Australian scientists discovered a weird species of devilish bees post-Halloween.

Researchers found the Megachile 'Lucifer' while observing a rare wildflower that only grows in the Bremer Ranges in Western Australia’s Goldfields region near Perth.

Dr. Kit Prendergast at the Curtin University’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences discovered the bee while surveying a critically endangered wildflower in 2019.

The interesting fact unveils that the ‘highly distinctive, prominent horns’ are only on the female bee and may be used as a defense mechanism to gather pollen or nectar or else to collect materials such as resin for nests.

“The female had these incredible little horns on her face,” said Dr Kit Prendergast from Curtin University.

The lead author of the study reveals that after discovering the interesting species, she was immediately drawn to the insect’s unique appearance and she named the new species as "Lucifer," after a Netflix season because of their "devilish horns."

She also informed that this species is a new addition to the bee group after two decades.

“It’s the first new member of this bee group to be described in more than 20 years, which really shows how much life we still have to discover,” Prendergast said.

The researcher also hopes that the discovery will raise awareness of the number of undiscovered species that could still be out there, especially in areas threatened by mining.

“Many mining companies still don’t survey for native bees, so we may be missing undescribed species, including those that play crucial roles in supporting threatened plants and ecosystems,” said Dr. Kit.

The study published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research by Dr. Kit also highlights that as “the new species was found in the same small area as the endangered wildflower- both could be at risk from habitat disturbance and other threatening processes like climate change.”

Additionally, the discovery comes amid Australia’s annual celebration of the crucial role bees, butterflies, and other insects play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and food production.