The Wallace’s bee ( Megachile pluto ) was discovered in 1859 in the jungles of Indonesia by the famous naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace. However, it was declared extinct as no other trace of this species was observed in the following 120 years.
Now a team of biologists has rediscovered the species by locating a female Wallace’s giant bee inside a termite nest in a tree in Indonesia. For obvious security reasons, we cannot say exactly where they have rediscovered Wallace’s giant bee, but we can say that, with a wingspan of more than 6 centimeters, it is four times the size of a European bee.
Unlike its honey-producing cousin, this bee has huge jaws, similar to those of the famous stag beetle. It does not live in hives with thousands of family members, but in solitude, in termite mounds, a tubular hearth that is covered with waterproof resin.
His story
In 1858, the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace discovered an incredible bee while exploring the Indonesian island of Bacan. Wallace described the female as “a large black wasp-like insect, with huge jaws like a deer.” And so Wallace’s giant bee entered the world of scientific literature.
Recognized as the world’s largest bee, despite its enormous size, it was not seen again until 1981, when entomologist Adam Messer found it in Indonesia. Messer’s observations of its behavior, such as the way it uses its giant jaws to collect resin and wood for its nest, provided some insight, but still the bee remained generally elusive. It was not seen again for decades, making it the “holy grail” of bees.
Fortunately, the bee has been rediscovered once again, according to the Global Wildlife Conservation foundation. In January, a search team that set out to find and photograph Wallace’s giant bee found success in Indonesia, hoping the species can still thrive in forests.
“It was absolutely stunning to see this ‘flying bulldog’; we really have real evidence in front of us in the wild,” said Clay Bolt, a photographer specializing in bees, who took the first photos and videos of the species alive after years of research. the right kind of habitat with his travel companion, Eli Wyman.
“To really see how beautiful and large the species is in the wild, to hear the sound of its gigantic wings as it flew over my head, it was just incredible. My dream is to now use this rediscovery to make this bee a symbol of conservation in this part of Indonesia and a point of pride for the locals there, “says Wyman, bee expert, entomologist at Princeton University, and formerly from the American Museum of Natural History.
It is clear that this bee has a unique history.
“I hope this rediscovery will spark future research that will give us a deeper understanding of the life of this unique bee and expose any future efforts to protect it from extinction, ” continues Wyman.
This is the second rediscovery of one of the Global Wildlife Conservation organization’s 25 most sought-after species – species that have fallen off the radar and are feared extinct. Given the alarming recent news that insects could be gone within a century, the more we can learn about those in danger, the more we can work to protect them. Meanwhile, it is encouraging to know that in the forests of Indonesia, there are bees the size of a bird flying free.
Referencia: Clay Bolt, Natural History and Conservation Photographer. Global Wildlife Conservation 2019.
Crédito imagen: Clay Bolt
