Skip to content

Nature

Cuckoo, cuckoo, new species of bee

by Dave Armstrong 04 Sep 2012
Cuckoo, cuckoo, new species of bee

New species named after a Genoan who was the first to see the islands in 1456: Thyreus denolii from Boavista. 1 Male 2 Female. This is the most distinct new bee, because of its zebra stripes; Credit: © Dr. Jakub Straka & Dr. Michael S. Engel

Eight expeditions in 150 years is a paltry total, but the Republic of Cape Verde is now making up for this. They have 4 new species and a new genus of cuckoo bee on their hands and the traditionally-expected island effect of speciation is rampant, it seems. More organisms need to be studied here with the proviso of course that you know where the Cape Verde archipeligo is! (It's just off Africa, on the left)

Cape Verde archipeligo

Cape Verde archipeligo; Credit: © ZooKeys

Jakub Straka and Michael S. Engel of Charles University in Prague and the University of Kansas have formed another "expedition" to the islands and found that all was not what it seemed. While some larger cuckoo bees were Mediterranean/Asian, these four new bee species were endemic to the islands and, even with their small stature, had a typical case of island gigantism. This is one of the island effects of the geographical isolation of a species.

Cuckoo bees quietly find their way into the hives of other bees and arrange the rearing of their brood. The cuckoo itself could hardly be more successful, but the species rarely invade any but their own parasitized hosts, as the consequences could be fatal!

Mug shot of the same bee, with, 5 Male and 6 Female. All species have similar mug shots

Mug shot of the same bee, with, 5 Male and 6 Female. All species have similar "mug shots"; Credit: © Dr. Jakub Straka & Dr. Michael S. Engel

All 4 Thyreus species seem related, so a single invasion is the most likely colonisation event. The Canaries have a related species and inter-island breeding may have been more likely as sea levels lowered between the shallow pieces of water between some of the islands. And the next step?

The authors of this ZooKeys published research article intend to examine the more normal Apids (bees) of the islands as the island effect is quite pronounced here. Other researchers would do well to have a look at other animals and plants.


Trending Eco-Friendly Clothing

Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Love My Planet women's eco-friendly relaxed fit hoodieSize Guide Centimeters 8 10 12 14 16 18 Bust 84 88 92 97 103 108 Waist 66 70 75 80 85 91 Hips 91 95 99 104 109 116 Bust: Measure around the fullest part of...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Penguins Hate Push-Ups men's eco-friendly pullover HoodieSize Guide Centimeters XS S M L XL XXL Height 171 175 179 183 189 195 Chest 86 93 99 104 116 129 Waist 71 76 81 89 99 112 Chest: Measure all round your chest just below...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Lightning Bolt kids eco-friendly long sleeve t-shirtSize Guide Centimeters 3-4yrs 5-6yrs 7-8yrs 9-10yrs 11-12yrs Height 98 112 125 136 147 Chest 60 66 70 75 84 Chest: Measure all around your chest just below your armpits. Height: Your natural height If you fall between...
£18.00
£18.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Union Jack eco-friendly colour tote bagProduct Specification Organic Cotton Tote Bag. Twill Weave (170gsm). 37 x 42 cm (7cm gusset.) Made in India / Designed on the Isle of Wight. Wash Cool, Hang Dry.
£16.00
£16.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Prev Post
Next Post

Eco-Friendly Shop

Women's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Women Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable women’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Men's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Men Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable men’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Kids Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothes for Kids Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable kids clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers. Our garments...
Shop Now
Someone recently bought a
[time] ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Earth Times
Sign up for exclusive updates, new arrivals & insider only discounts

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Login
Shopping Cart
0 items

Before you leave...

Take 20% off your first order

20% off

Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order

CODESALE20

Continue Shopping