Overview
- The species, Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, was described in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research after specimens were collected in Western Australia’s Goldfields.
- DNA barcoding confirmed male and female specimens belonged to the same, previously unknown species and did not match museum or database records.
- Females have distinctive upward-pointing facial horns about 0.9 millimetres long, whose function remains uncertain, while males lack the structures.
- The bee was observed visiting the critically endangered Marianthus aquilonarius and a nearby mallee, linking a rare pollinator to a rare plant in a narrow range.
- Researchers warn that native-bee surveys are often not required for mining approvals, and limited subsequent sightings when the mallee did not flower point to a short activity window that needs targeted monitoring.