HOUSTON — A one-of-a-kind new species of mining bee found in Texas and Oklahoma has researchers buzzing with excitement.
The newly discovered species, Andrena androfovea, was documented interacting with plants in the wild in both Oklahoma and Texas, according to a study recently published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
Why is the discovery so important?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 75-85% of all flowering plants on Earth rely on animal pollinators to survive and reproduce. Bees are the most critical members of this group.
Co-author John Neff had been collecting specimens of this bee in Texas for several years before confirming its unique position in the Andrena genealogy.
This newly discovered bee is the only species in the genus Andrena that has an affinity for plants in the Solanaceae family, commonly known as the tomato family.
James Hung, assistant professor of biology at the University of Oklahoma and co-author of the study, captured high-quality video and photo evidence of the bee using its furry abdomen and legs to gather pollen from these plants.
“I observed this matte-blue-colored bee doing a handstand on the flower, sucking nectar with its tongue while scraping the flower with its hind legs and rubbing the flower with its hairy belly,” Hung said. “This is pretty unusual behavior for a member of the mining bee genus and really helps us showcase the unique evolutionary innovations of this new subgenus.”
A call for conservation
In addition to the discovery and documentation of this new species, Hung highlighted the importance of native bee conservation and biodiversity research.
“Oklahoma is a treasure trove of biodiversity, but there’s still a lot to be learned about the hidden and undiscovered things in our state,” he said. “More needs to be done to ensure environmental protection for the different habitats, both for the species we know about and those that could be discovered in the future.”