Эрдэмтэд 2.8-аас 2.2 сая жилийн өмнө амьдарч байсан Apis aibai нэртэй эртний зөгийн чулуужсан үлдэгдлийг илрүүлсэн нь орчин үеийн зөгийн хувьслын түүхэн дэх цоорхойг нөхөж байна.
Японы Хёго мужийн Тераги бүлэг хэмээх галт уулын болон нуурын тунадаст давхаргаас олдсон энэхүү олдвор нь Apis дэд төрлийн хамгийн эртний батлагдсан чулуужсан үлдэгдэл болж байна. Ойролцоогоор 10 миллиметр урттай уг ажилчин зөгий нь далавч, хойд хөл болон биеийн бүтцийн хувьд маш сайн хадгалагджээ. Судлаачид далавчны судасны хээ болон хөлний бүтцийг нь орчин үеийн зөгийтэй харьцуулан судалсны дүнд уг төрлийг тодорхойлсон байна.
ZooKeys сэтгүүлд нийтлэгдсэн судалгаагаар Apis aibai нь одоогийн Филиппин болон Индонезид амьдардаг Apis nigrocincta зөгийтэй ижил төстэй шинж чанартай болохыг тогтоожээ. Энэ нь эрт цагт тус бүлгийн зөгий нь өнөөгийнхөөс илүү өргөн уудам нутагт, тухайлбал Японы сэрүүн бүс нутагт тархаж байсныг илтгэж байна.
Энэхүү нээлт нь митохондрийн ДНХ-д суурилсан генетикийн судалгаануудын таамаглалыг бодит олдвороор баталгаажуулж байгаа юм. Урьд нь зөгийн чулуужсан үлдэгдэл ихэвчлэн Европ, Хятадын эртний давхаргаас олддог байсан бол энэ олдвор нь генетикийн таамаглал болон физик үлдэгдлийн хоорондох холбоос болж, Азийн зөгийн урт хугацааны хувьслыг ойлгоход чухал ач холбогдолтой юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A fossil bee discovered in Japan has revealed a forgotten stage in the evolution of modern honeybees. Named Apis aibai, the ancient insect lived between 2.8 and 2.2 million years ago and is now considered the oldest confirmed fossil of the Apis subgenus.
The specimen helps connect ancient honeybee remains with genetic studies that have suggested when modern groups first appeared. They are among the most important pollinators on Earth, supporting both wild ecosystems and agriculture. The genus Apis includes at least nine living species divided into three subgenera: Micrapis, Megapis and Apis. The last group contains the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) and its closest relatives.
Until now, the fossil history of honeybees was mostly limited to much older remains. Most known fossils came from Oligocene and Miocene deposits in Europe and China, while only a few younger fossils from the Pleistocene and Holocene periods had been identified. Those younger examples belonged to species that are still alive today.
Ancient Fossil Hidden in Japan for Millions of Years
The newly described species Apis aibai was found in the Teragi Group, a formation of volcanic and lake sediments in Hyogo prefecture, Japan. The fossil was preserved in whitish, tuff-rich siltstone, keeping enough of its structure intact for scientists to study.
The specimen is a worker bee measuring around 10 millimeters long. Its wings, hind legs and body segments are clearly preserved, giving researchers the opportunity to compare its anatomy with modern species.
According to Dr. Yui Takahashi from Keio Yochisha Elementary School and Dr. Jun-ichi Takahashi of Kyoto Sangyo University:
“The honey bee, a general term for hymenopteran insects of the genusApis(family Apidae), plays a vital role as a pollinator for both natural and agricultural ecosystems.”
The researchers identified the species by examining features such as wing vein patterns and leg structures. The fossil’s age places it between two important parts of honeybee history: the much older fossil record and the more recent remains of existing species.
A Long-Lost Ancestor of Asian Honeybees Found
The analysis, published online in the journal ZooKeys, showed that Apis aibai shares similarities with Apis nigrocincta, a honeybee species that currently lives only in the Philippines and Indonesia. These similarities suggest that related extinct ones once occupied a much wider territory.
“This suggests that theApis nigrocincta-related extinct group, including the new species, historically had a wider distribution, ranging to temperate Japan of the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene age,”explained by the researchers.
The discovery changes the picture of where these honeybees lived in the past. Today, most Asian of them are concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions of South and Southeast Asia. Only Apis cerana naturally reaches temperate areas, including Japan.
Scientists suspect that this extinct lineage may have helped shape the ancestry of Japan’s native honeybee, a hypothesis that could provide new insights into the long evolutionary history of Asian honeybees.
Lost Honeybee Ancestor Discovered
The discovery of Apis aibai also supports previous genetic research into its origins. Studies based on mitochondrial DNA had suggested that the Apis subgenus appeared during the Late Miocene epoch, but fossil evidence confirming this timeline had been lacking.
As explained by the researchers, the Japanese fossil helps bridge the gap between genetic predictions and physical remains found in the fossil record. Most fossils come from Eocene to Miocene deposits in Europe and China, leaving few examples from later period
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