Researchers in Western Australia have identified a new leafcutter bee, Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, notable for tiny horn-like bumps on the female's face. Kit Prendergast discovered the insect in 2019 while surveying a critically endangered wildflower, and DNA barcoding showed it matches no known bees in databases or museum collections. The species—first in this group described in over 20 years—was published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research and coincides with Australian Pollinator Week. Scientists say the find highlights the urgent need for surveys and conservation amid threats from climate change and mining.
New 'Lucifer' Bee with Devil-Like Facial Horns Discovered in Western Australia — A Warning for Pollinator Conservation
Researchers in Western Australia have identified a new leafcutter bee, Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, notable for tiny horn-like bumps on the female's face. Kit Prendergast discovered the insect in 2019 while surveying a critically endangered wildflower, and DNA barcoding showed it matches no known bees in databases or museum collections. The species—first in this group described in over 20 years—was published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research and coincides with Australian Pollinator Week. Scientists say the find highlights the urgent need for surveys and conservation amid threats from climate change and mining.
10:14 PM, 11/11/2025Science
New 'Lucifer' bee discovered in Western Australia
Australia has a new—and unusually named—addition to its insect fauna: a small leafcutter bee with tiny, horn-like protrusions on its face. The species has been formally named Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer and was recorded in Western Australia, Curtin University announced.
Entomologist Kit Prendergast from Curtin University's School of Molecular and Life Sciences first encountered the bee in 2019 while surveying a critically endangered wildflower. She said the female specimen immediately stood out because of its distinctive facial bumps.
"The female had these incredible little horns on her face," Prendergast said. A fan of the Netflix show Lucifer, she added that the name felt like a fitting nod to the bee's devilish appearance.
Prendergast and colleagues used DNA barcoding to compare the specimens with existing records and found no match in public DNA databases. The samples also did not match any material in museum collections, confirming this is an undescribed species. According to Curtin University, this is the first new member of this bee group to be formally described in more than 20 years.
The discovery was published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research and coincides with Australian Pollinator Week, which highlights the vital role pollinators play in ecosystems and agriculture.
Conservation implications
Prendergast emphasized that the find underscores how many species remain unknown to science, particularly in regions threatened by habitat loss, climate change and 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," she warned.
Almost all flowering plants rely on wild pollinators—especially bees—and the loss of unidentified pollinators could imperil the plants that depend on them before scientists even recognize their existence.
Why this matters: The discovery is a reminder that there is still much biodiversity to document, and that protecting habitats and conducting thorough biological surveys are essential steps to prevent silent extinctions of both pollinators and the plants they support.