New unusual bee species discovered with dog-like snout

A new native bee species with a dog-like "snout" has been found in Perth.

The new species was named after Dr. Kit Prendergast's pet dog, because the insect's face looked like a dog's.

Dr. Prendergast said the finding would add to existing knowledge and ensure the bees were protected from extinction.

Dr. Prendergast was immediately interested in the bee's face when he first looked at the specimen.

I was certain that it would be easy to identify if it was a known species since it was unusual.

Once you look at a species under a microscope and try to match its characteristics against other identified species, you can confirm it.

When I looked at the Entomology collection at theWA Museum, I discovered that a few of the specimen had been collected in 1979.

Dr. Prendergast was excited to help make this species known and officially named.

Dr. Prendergast said that "Insects in general are so diverse and important that we don't have scientific descriptions or names for many of them."

The Leioproctus zephyr is only found in seven locations across the southwestWA, and have not been collected from their original location. They were absent from residential gardens and only present at five urban bushland remnants where they foraged on two Jacksonia plants.

This species is very picky and has a snout that looks like a nose. I decided to name them after my dog. She has made a huge difference to my mental health and well-being during my time doing a PhD.

Dr. Prendergast was able to confirm that the new species was related to others.

There is a new bee species called Leioproctus Prendergast.

Kit S. Prendergast is a new bee species with a distinctive flower. The DOI is 10.3897/jhr.93.856 85.

Journal information: Journal of Hymenoptera Research

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