A new bee species is discovered in Israel
Amidst decreasing global bee populations, new finding provides optimism for pollination and bee habitat conservation.
January 10, 2021, 10:17 am
The newly found Lasioglossum dorchini bees – female on left, male on right. Photo by Alain Pauly/Belgian Journal of Entomology
The species was named
Lasioglossum dorchini in tribute to the Israeli bee researcher Achik Dorchin of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University.
Image courtesy of the Belgian Journal of Entomology
This new type of bee is especially exciting because a decline in the world bee population is putting crop pollination in danger.
IsraelHealth, Science & Technology
By Hamodia Staff
YERUSHALAYIM -
A swarm of honey bees is visible in a tree. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Israeli researchers have discovered a hitherto unknown bee species they believe is unique to the country’s coastal plains.
The species was identified and described by Dr. Alain Pauly, a taxonomist from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. The scientific name for the creature will be
Lasioglossum dorchini,
in honor of the Israeli bee expert Dr. Achik Dorchin, of the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, according to Arutz Sheva on Thursday.
“Beyond just the professional excitement of discovering a new species that was previously unknown to science, this finding has broader applicative value in helping us better understand bee communities, their habitat requirements and the pollination services they may provide,” said Professor Yael Mandelik of the Department of Entomology in the Facult