What is the family and species of the 'little blue bee' discovered in 2024?

• A. Andrenidae, Andrena androfovea
• B. Halictidae, Lasioglossum notrah
• C. Apidae, Apis mellifera
• D. Megachilidae, Osmia caerulea

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is taxonomic naming and what it tells us about an insect’s place in the classification system. A bee’s family ends with -idae and groups related lineages together; a genus is a more specific branch within that family, and the species name (the second part of the binomial) identifies the unique organism within that genus. So a bee described as a new species in 2024 would be given a genus-and-species name that places it in a particular family.

The option that lists Andrenidae as the family and Andrena androfovea as the species fits the idea of a newly described, small blue bee within the genus Andrena. Andrena is a large genus within the Andrenidae family, and describing a new species would involve a two-part name like this. The “little blue bee” clue aligns with a newly named species in this genus, making that combination the best fit for a 2024 discovery.

The other options point to different families or well-known species that don’t match a recently described little blue bee. For example, Apis mellifera is the common honey bee and not blue, Osmia caerulea is a blue mason bee but belongs to Megachilidae and is not a 2024 discovery, and Lasioglossum notrah would place it in Halictidae. These don’t reflect a newly described Andrena species in 2024.