While conducting research on the pollinators of the Marianthus aquilonaris wildflower in the remote Goldfields region of Western Australia, Curtin Adjunct Research Fellow and native bee scientist Kit Prendergast made a remarkable discovery. She came across a bee species that had not been documented before.

Prendergast decided to name the new species Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer, inspired by her favorite Netflix series, due to the bee’s striking horn-like features.

Lucifer is a popular British drama series featuring Welsh actor Tom Ellis in the lead role.

“While I was surveying a rare plant in the Goldfields, I observed this particular bee visiting both the endangered wildflower and a nearby mallee tree,” Prendergast explained.

This unique bee, dubbed the Australian native lucifer bee, had never been seen prior to this discovery. Genetic testing through DNA barcoding confirmed that its genetic makeup did not match any known species, making it a new addition to the scientific community.

Its presence during a mass flowering of an endangered host suggests this bee may be of “conservation concern”, according to a journal article published by Prendergast and Joshua W. Campbell.

“This species visits a critically endangered plant, Marianthus aquilonaris, in a region that targeted for mining (around Lake Johnston of the Goldfields),” Prendergast said in a post on Instagram.

“For many threatened plants, we do not even know what visits them.

“For many mining and development projects, there is no requirement to even survey, let alone mitigate or offset potential impacts on the native bee and invertebrate communities.

“Not only does the name lucifer refer to Lucifer, but it is also Latin for ‘Lightbringer’, and I hope this new species shines light on the need to better invest in, monitor, and research Australian native bees and their conservation.”

The Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer bee is the first of its genus to be discovered in 20 years.

Australia is home to an estimated 2000 native bee species.