Amegilla incognita

Tilcayo Cats original · Amegilla · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Amegilla incognita is an Australian bee described in 2020 from a single male collected south of Onslow in Western Australia. The specimen had been collected on Trichodesma on 23 August 1971 and kept in the Western Australian Museum.

Recognising an overlooked species

The bee had previously been labelled A. preissi. The revisers found that the male's abdominal plates and genital structures differed sufficiently from the other species examined to justify a separate name. It has black hairs at the front of the second to fourth upper abdominal plates and a large round patch of stiff dark brown bristles on the fourth sternite.

The name incognita refers to something unknown or unrecognised. The female was unknown in the published description. One old collection record does not reveal the species' abundance, full range or nesting habits.