Two new solitary bee species—Elaphropoda triangulata and Habropoda adi—have been identified in Arunachal Pradesh

Two new solitary bee species—Elaphropoda triangulata and Habropoda adi—have been identified in Arunachal Pradesh

¨     Two new solitary bee species—Elaphropoda triangulata and Habropoda adi—have been identified in Arunachal Pradesh.

¨     The discovery was made by researchers from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru during the Siang Expedition.

¨     The findings were published in the European Journal of Taxonomy.

¨     Solitary bees are bees that do not live in colonies with a queen, workers, and drones.

¨     Many solitary bees are ground-nesting pollinators, building nests in the soil.

¨     The two newly discovered species belong to the Anthophorinae subfamily of ground-nesting bees.

¨     Wild bees play a vital role in the pollination of forests, grasslands, and agricultural ecosystems.

¨     Bee pollination supports the reproduction of flowering plants and enhances crop productivity.

¨     Elaphropoda triangulata was named after its distinct triangular markings.

¨     Habropoda adi was named in honour of the Adi community of Arunachal Pradesh.

¨     The genus Elaphropoda currently has 13 known species worldwide.

¨     The genus Habropoda currently has 55 known species worldwide.

¨     Each newly identified species is currently known from a single male specimen collected in Arunachal Pradesh.

¨     In taxonomy, a specimen serves as the reference sample for the formal description, identification, and classification of a species.