“Lucifer,” the devil bee – A new species discovered

Australia, already home to snakes, spiders, and sharks, can now add a new entry to its list of fearsome creatures: a newly identified species of bee named Lucifer for its demonic look, enhanced by the small horns on its head. The discovery was announced today by researchers.

The species, named Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, was found in Western Australia, the country’s largest state, according to Curtin University in Perth.

While studying an endangered wildflower, Dr. Kit Prendergast from the university’s School of Molecular and Life Sciences came across this striking bee, which immediately drew her attention due to its unique appearance.

“The female had incredible tiny horns on her head” she noted in a university publication.

A fan of the Netflix series Lucifer, Prendergast felt the name was a perfect match for the bee’s devilish look.

“This is the first new member of this bee group to be described in more than 20 years, which shows how many species we still have left to discover—especially in regions under threat from mining, such as the Goldfields area where Lucifer was found,” she explained.

The researcher hopes the discovery will raise awareness about the many still-unknown species that may exist in such regions.

“Since this new species was found in the same area as an endangered wildflower, both could be at risk from ecosystem disruption and other factors such as climate change” she warned.

“Many mining companies still fail to record native bees, which means we may be losing species—especially those that play a crucial role in sustaining endangered plants and ecosystems. We risk losing them before we even know they exist,” Prendergast emphasized.

Nearly all flowering plants depend on wild pollinators, particularly bees, but habitat loss and climate change are driving the extinction of many vital species.

The discovery was published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research in an article titled “Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): a new horned, demon-like megachilid bee visiting the threatened species Marianthus aquilonaris (Pittosporaceae),” available here.