A bee trapped in the sap of a tree 99 million years ago in Burma has been found and studied by researchers. This discovery provided information on the evolution of this insect, according to a study published on January 29 in the journal Paleodiversity .
Over time, the sap in which the animal was trapped has turned into amber and created an environment that favors the conservation of the specimen. The whole was discovered in a mine and studied by George Poinar Jr., paleobiologist at the University of Oregon (United States), specifies Futura Sciences .
A 100 million year old bee found in fossilized amber https://t.co/Wb5vaJdnvA pic.twitter.com/ILKFaY0KjE
- Le Journal du Geek (@JournalDuGeek) February 19, 2020Halfway between two species
The animal belongs to the Discoscapa apicula species . The insect lived during the geological era of the Middle Cretaceous and has both characteristics of the current pollinivorous bees and their ancestors, the apoid wasps. The latter were carnivores. In terms of evolution, the fossilized bee is in fact between the two species.
It therefore allows experts to study the changes that these hymenoptera have undergone. Like the wasps from which it descends, the Discoscapa apicula has antennae located quite low on its head, thin legs at the back and long wings with ribs. And like current bees, it has spurs on the posterior shins, particularly fine hairs to capture pollen and a rounded pronotal lobe.
George Poinar Jr. had previously observed a bee fossil halfway between today's insects and the apoid wasps. In 2006, the paleobiologist had indeed studied a specimen belonging to another species, the Melittosphex .
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