Researchers in Australia have identified a new native bee species, naming it Megachile lucifer after the horn-like protrusions on its head, as well as taking some inspiration from Netflix’s show, Lucifer.
The species was found during wildflower surveys and belongs to the leafcutter bee family, Megachilidae. According to Curtin University, the insect was collected between Norseman and Hyden in Western Australia.
Researcher names horned bee after Netflix’s Lucifer
“The female had these incredible little horns on her face. When writing up the new species description, I was watching the Netflix show Lucifer at the time, and the name just fit perfectly,” said university researcher Kit Prendergast.
Prendergast further described the new species as having “incredible little horns” on the females, which inspired the name lucifer, meaning “light-bringer” in Latin but often associated with the devil.
The discovery marks the first new member of this particular bee group described in over 20 years, according to Prendergast. The University’s report didn’t mention whether the new species had the capacity to sting or how potent the venom could be to humans if so.
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