Andrena androfovea, a fuzzy black mining bee with a metallic sheen, was only recently given its name by researchers with the University of Oklahoma, Washington State University and the Central Texas Melittological Institute.
The findings were published in the journal Ecology and Evolution this month.
Scientists used DNA analyses, first-hand observations and film footage of the winged insect to identify it, concluding it likely formed its own branch within the mining bee family more than 12 million years ago.
James Hung, assistant professor of biology at OU, said he first found the insect in 2022 and realized it didn’t match other documented bees, meaning it was probably not closely related to others of its kind.
Its behavior of pollinating ground cherries and five-eyes plants in western Oklahoma was part of what distinguished the bee from others. The researchers found other mining bees do not favor the plants, which are found in the tomato family.
Gardeners and bee enthusiasts are unlikely to find Andrena androfovea in their backyards, Hung said.
“The ground cherry and the five-eyes plants are also plants that really don't seem to make it into people's backyards very much,” he said. “They're kind of associated with pretty harsh, dry terrain.”
Although it’s not uncommon for researchers to discover new species of bees and wasps, Hung said documenting the insects advances protections for the broader environment.
“Describing and naming these new species is very necessary,” he said. “Because if you don't do so, we're going to drastically underestimate how much biodiversity and how many ecological interactions could be lost if we don't preserve these habitats.”
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