Australian researchers have identified a new native bee species featuring distinctive facial horns — and have given it a name with a mischievous twist: Megachile lucifer.
The discovery was made while scientists were studying a rare wildflower that grows exclusively in the Bremer Ranges, a remote area of Western Australia’s Goldfields region, about 470km (292 miles) east of Perth.
The species’ “highly distinctive, prominent horns” appear only on the females and may serve several purposes — including defence, gathering pollen or nectar, or collecting materials such as resin to build nests.
Lead researcher Dr Kit Prendergast of Curtin University said she was inspired to name the bee Lucifer while watching the Netflix series of the same name during her research. It marks the first new species added to this bee group in two decades.
“The female had these incredible little horns on her face,” Dr Prendergast explained. “When I was writing up the description, I happened to be watching Lucifer, and the name just fit perfectly. I’m also a huge fan of the character — it was a no-brainer.”
The word Lucifer — meaning “light bringer” in Latin — also symbolizes the team’s goal of shedding light on the need to protect Australia’s native bees and to better understand their role in pollinating endangered plants.
The findings, published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, urge that the area where Megachile lucifer and the rare wildflowers were found be formally designated as conservation land to prevent clearing and habitat loss.
“Because the new species was discovered in the same small area as an endangered wildflower, both could be vulnerable to habitat disturbance and climate change,” Dr Prendergast warned. She added that mining companies often overlook native bees in environmental impact assessments.
“As a result, we may be missing unknown species — including those essential to the survival of threatened plants and ecosystems. Without identifying which native bees exist and the plants they rely on, we risk losing them before we even know they’re there.”