Dr Michael Engel, an entomologist with the University of Kansas’ Natural History Museum, has reported the discovery of a new species of bee in the Central African Republic.

The newfound bee belongs to Braunsapis, a genus of bees that do not produce honey but are important pollinators of crops and wild plants.

Braunsapis bees are small and mostly black-colored insects. They live solitary and nest in hollow stems. Females have a sting, but are not aggressive and will only sting if handled. These bees are found in Africa, Asia and Australia.

The new species, Braunsapis maxschwarzi, is described from a number of females collected in the Central African Republic.

“The specific epithet (maxschwarzi) is a patronym honoring Dr Maximilian Schwarz, who provided the material reported herein and who has made numerous important contributions to the systematics of bees for more than 40 years,” Dr Engel wrote in the paper published in the Journal of Melittology.

Braunsapis maxschwarzi is a very small bee, about 6 mm in length.

The species is most similar to previously known bee, Braunsapis paradoxa, from South Africa. It differs by the extensively developed yellow clypeal markings, the yellow pronotal lobe and other features.

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Engel MS. 2013. A new species of the allodapine bee genus Braunsapis from the Central African Republic (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Journal of Melittology, no. 21, pp. 1–7