[1] Along with other well preserved insect fossils, the P. pauli specimen was collected from layers of Late Oligocene lacustrine rock belonging to the "calcaire de Campagne Calavon" sediments.

The paleoflora preserved in the shales suggest the lake was surrounded by a mixed-mesophytic forest though the vertebrate fauna found in the formation is more typical of a semi-arid environment.

The specific epithet pauli is a patronym coined in honor of Paul Léon Victor Vigot, a young bee systematics enthusiast.

[1] P. pauli is one of four bee species described by Dehon and team in the PLOS ONE article, the others being Andrena antoinei, Bombus cerdanyensis, and Euglossopteryx biesmeijeri.

[1] The P. pauli fossil is a female preserved with a dorsal view of the body, head twisted upward showing the face, the right forewing outstretched, and hindwings missing.