Melittosphex burmensis
Encyclopedia
Melittosphex burmensis is the oldest-known species of bee
. The species was discovered as an amber inclusion in the year 2006 by George Poinar, Jr.
, a zoologist at Oregon State University
. The amber was found in a mine in the Hukawng Valley
of northern Myanmar
and is believed to date from the Cretaceous Period, 100 million years ago.
-collecting bees, such as branched hairs on the body. The bee's head is heart-shaped.
The sample discovered is thought to be 100 million years old, 40 million years older than the next-oldest known bee species. The discovery of a bee from the Cretaceous Period with certain pollen-collecting features may help to explain the rapid expansion of flowering plants at that time in earth's history.
Poinar and bee researcher Bryan Danforth described M. burmensis in the journal Science
.
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
. The species was discovered as an amber inclusion in the year 2006 by George Poinar, Jr.
George Poinar, Jr.
George O. Poinar, Jr. is an entomologist and writer. He is known for popularizing the idea of extracting DNA from insects fossilized in amber, an idea which received widespread attention when adapted by Michael Crichton for the book and movie Jurassic Park.Poinar earned a B.S. and M.S. at Cornell...
, a zoologist at Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
. The amber was found in a mine in the Hukawng Valley
Hukawng Valley
The Hukawng Valley is an isolated valley in Burma, roughly in area. It is located in Tanaing Township in the Myitkyina District of Kachin State in the northernmost part of the country.-Rivers:...
of northern Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
and is believed to date from the Cretaceous Period, 100 million years ago.
Description
M. burmensis is approximately one-fifth the size of the extant honeybee, at about 3 millimetres long. It is not related to any existing bee family. M. burmensis has some anatomical features similar to those of flesh-eating wasps, including the shape of its hind legs, but also some features of pollenPollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
-collecting bees, such as branched hairs on the body. The bee's head is heart-shaped.
The sample discovered is thought to be 100 million years old, 40 million years older than the next-oldest known bee species. The discovery of a bee from the Cretaceous Period with certain pollen-collecting features may help to explain the rapid expansion of flowering plants at that time in earth's history.
Poinar and bee researcher Bryan Danforth described M. burmensis in the journal Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
.