A new species of bee has been discovered in Western Australia, named ‘Lucifer’ due to the devil-like horns found on its females.
The discovery of the species, formally named Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, was announced by Curtin University on Tuesday. Lead researcher Kit Prendergast said the name was inspired by the insect’s appearance and the Netflix series ‘Lucifer’.
“The name just fit perfectly. I’m also a huge fan of the Netflix character Lucifer, so it was a no-brainer,” Prendergast said in a statement. “The female had these incredible little horns on her face,” she added.
Prendergast, from the university’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences, first encountered the bee in 2019 during a survey of a critically endangered wildflower and was struck by its unique features, according to the study published in the Journal of Hymenoptera.
Genetic analysis revealed it was the first new species in its group to be studied in more than 20 years, Prendergast said, with DNA barcoding confirming it was a unique find not represented in any major databases or museum collections.
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