The prehistoric insect, captivated in the drop of wood juice, at least, to 35-45 million years is older than the most ancient of all known, until now, fossilizations of bees. It was found in the mine on the north of Burma and was called name Melittosphex burmensis.
Insect has the characteristic features not only of bee, but also osy, in particular, thin hind legs how it confirms the theory of bee evolution.
Experts consider that the bees being fed by pollen occurred from the predator- wasps, and that precisely the appearance of bees could lead to the stormy propagation of the efflorescent plants over the earth's surface. The conifers, which scatter their seeds downwind, ago in the plant peace reigned of up to 100 million years.
"this very trying of all bees, which we succeeded herself in identifying, and it has some signs of osy, says George Poynar, the professor of zoology from the American Oregon state university, which together with the associates reported discovery on the pages of periodical Science. - but nevertheless this is more bee, than wasp, and it allows for us with a sufficient portion of probability to speak about the time, when were radiated the evolutionary ways of these two types of insects ".
Fossilization is in splendid state; in insect separate hairsprings were preserved, not injured remained the fragments of small pile, abdomen and head. Are well visible also paws and wings, the BBC reports.
It is very small according to the size: the diameter of its abdomen hardly reaches 3 millimeters, and this proves theory about the fact that the first flowers were also very small.
"this fossilization can soak to us understand, when osy, which are been in essence carnivorous, began to be converted into the bees, that pollinate plants and fulfilling completely different biological functions", says professor poynar.
Today in the world are counted about 20 thousand varieties of bees, which feed its posterity with pollen.
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