‘Beautiful’ — and deceitful — creature discovered as new species in Vietnam. See it

Irene Wright

In the mountains of Vietnam, a tiny bee flits from flower to flower.

She is a yellow-ish orange color, with tufts of little hairs running down the length of her body.

She belongs to a rare genus of bees — known for their deceit.

Habrophorula belladeceptrix, a species of digger bee, “superficially resembles” another type of bee that is more reddish in color, according to an April 18 study published in the journal ZooKeys.

But despite their outward appearance, they are a new species entirely, making them a queen of disguise.

The female looks similar to another species, but is actually new, the researchers said.
The female looks similar to another species, but is actually new, the researchers said.

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The species was discovered by researchers in Phia Oac-Phia Den National Park in the northern mountains of Vietnam, according to the study.

On walls of flowers commonly found on the sides of the road in the park, female bees buzzing around were captured in an insect net, photos show.

Specimens were collected from a wall of plants and flowers by a road in the national park, researchers said.
Specimens were collected from a wall of plants and flowers by a road in the national park, researchers said.

The bees are only about one centimeter long, roughly the length of a single staple.

They have a broad head, thick mandible and three teeth in their small heads, according to the study.

The bees’ scape, which acts as a sort of upper arm, is “slender,” researchers said, and long compared to its other legs.

The bee was described as “beautiful” and deceitful.
The bee was described as “beautiful” and deceitful.

H. belladeceptrix was named for the trick it plays on a poorly trained eye.

“The specific epithet is a combination of the Latin adjectives bellā, meaning, ‘beautiful,’ and dēceptrix, meaning, ‘she who deceives,’” researchers wrote.

The genus as a whole is rare, according to the study, as only four other Habrophorula species have ever been found, all of which were discovered in southern China.

This species is the first of its kind in Vietnam.

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