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| Apis (Apis) aibai Takahashi & Takahashi, 2025 |
Abstract
A new fossil honey bee Apis (Apis) aibai sp. nov. was discovered in the Late Pliocene–Early Pleistocene lacustrine deposit in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Fossil species are identified based on their distinct forewing venation, thick, lighter-colored abdomens, and hind legs. Honeybee fossils exhibit a highly uneven distribution across time. Fossil species are primarily derived from older Oligocene–Miocene deposits, mostly in Europe and China, while fossils of a few modern species have been recovered from younger Pleistocene and Holocene deposits. Apis (Apis) aibai sp. nov. bridges the gap between older and younger fossil records. Additionally, this species represents the most recent extinct honey bee and the oldest known record of the subgenus Apis.
Key words: Apini, Apoidea, Cenozoic, fossil record, insect fossil, lacustrine deposit
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| Photographs of Apis (Apis) aibai sp. nov. (SOU-002). A. Fossil-bearing piece (38.3 mm × 67.1 mm × 9.8 mm); B. Studied fossil reflecting dorsal view of SOU-002. |
Apis (Apis) aibai sp. nov.
[New Japanese name: Tajima-mitsubachi]
Diagnosis. Medium-sized honey bee (body length approximately 10.0 mm). Wings hyaline. Forewing length approximately 8.4 mm. Vein 1Rs strongly slanted posterobasally, as long as vein 1Rs+M, subparallel to vein 2Rs, forming a slender subparallelogram-shaped 1st submarginal cell. Cross vein 1cu-a 0.7–0.8 times its length distant to vein 1M (basal vein). Cubital index 4.5. Hind tibia 2.3 times longer than wide, as long as basitarsus. Abdomen 1.4 times wider than thorax.
Yui Takahashi and Jun-ichi Takahashi. 2025. A honey bee fossil (Hymenoptera, Apidae) from the Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene Teragi Group, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan: Bridging a Gap in Apis Evolutionary History. ZooKeys. 1255: 291-301. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1255.162389
