Scientists have discovered a new species and entire subgenus of blue mining bee in the southern plains, known for its unique pollen-collecting brushes and packs.

The discovery emphasizes the importance of biodiversity, habitat preservation, and climate change mitigation, according to Keng-Lou James Hung, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Oklahoma.

“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 behavior was “pretty unusual,” he said.

The process of identifying the bee, which comes from the genus Andrena, involved field collection, laboratory analysis, and genome sequencing to confirm it as a new species.

Hung said he and the other scientists on the project first collected this bee in 2022 during fieldwork in Oklahoma and Texas.

The bee’s genome was so different from others in the Andrena genus that the scientists had to create an entirely new subgenus. They estimate that the bee’s evolution formed its own path on the Andrena family tree about 12.6 million years ago.

According to Silas Bossart, assistant professor at Washington State University and lead author of the study, the dating technique is called the “molecular clock.”

“We can approximate how much time has passed since this lineage has separated from the other bees based on differences in its genome,” said Bossart.

Hung and his co-researchers collaborated on fieldwork and collection, genomic sequencing and placing this bee in its new home on the evolutionary family tree. John Neff, who goes by Jack among friends, had been collecting the bee for years in Texas, so when they joined forces, the scientists knew it had to be the same bee.

“Jack and Silas had already been working together to figure out where this new little blue species belongs on the genealogy or family tree of Andrena species. So I joined that pair, and we became a trio, and we pooled our expertise together to formally describe and introduce the species to science,” Hung said.

This bee is also a loner, unlike others who are hive-based. The bee’s latin name is Andrena androfovea.

“Andrena androfovea is a solitary species where every female makes her own nest—like every other Andrena as far as we know (and something like 90% of all bee species). They are hard-working single moms rather than workers serving a queen, like the honey bees we’re familiar with,” Hung wrote.

This bee is distinct in the genus because of its unique anatomy, Hung said.

“Most species of Andrena mining bees have little fanny packs behind their thorax that they use to transport pollen back to their nests,” Hung said.

This new bee is different because not only does it have the fanny pack, it also has a brush on its abdomen that it uses to move pollen around.

“The hairbrush on the underside is kind of more like ice cream scoops that you use to load the ice cream into your bowl from the fridge and take it back to the living room,” he said.

These small bees also have a specialized diet focused on the tomato family. Hung said their hairbrush-like pollen scoops are particularly suited for collecting pollen from plants in this family, like the ground cherry.

Hung emphasized how the discovery reflects how environmental conditions shape species’ individual traits and behaviors, highlighting conservation.

To keep both new and old bees safe, Hung suggested advocacy for sustainable land management practices that balance human activity with biodiversity preservation.

“Continuing to do the research to figure out what are the most optimal ways to share the land with all the living creatures that are here in such a way that all of us benefit, and not just maximizing profit from the perspective of one organism, us humans, I think that’s a good start,” he said.

Scientists have conducted research on bee biodiversity for hundreds of years, but new species are still being discovered, Hung said.

The researcher emphasizes the role of young scientists in advancing ecological research and conservation, saying that hope lies in a dual approach.

He emphasized the prophet versus wizard approach to climate change, citing ideas from Charles C. Mann, an American science journalist.

The prophet approach, Hung said, likened the warnings of climate scientists to those of a religious prophet.

“This is what there is in store for you, unless you change your ways, right now, right? So the prophet perspective is these future projections and calling for an alteration of our current course so as to avoid these disasters in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, the wizard approach took a perspective more focused on innovation.

“We have faced ecological disasters. We have faced issues with feeding growing urban populations, with technology distribution, with managing social networks, and each of these things we’ve been able to overcome using innovation,” Hung said.

In a changing world, his advice to young scientists was to “stay curious and stay hopeful.”

If Hung could go back to his younger self and change anything, he said he would ask more questions, particularly of his professors.

“I wish I was more proactive in asking them, like, hey, you know, Dr. so and so, what are the research questions that keep you up at night?” he said.

There is more to be offered than just the information that comes up in class, he said.

“Ask more questions from people, experts who work in different fields, and think about problems from different ways than I do, so that I can have a more open and flexible and interconnected mind, so that I would wouldn’t get siloed in just the, you know, narrow research topics that I’m interested in,” Hung said.

The discovery, he said, urges greater investment in ecological research and education to uncover and safeguard more species.