title: A fossil bee from Early Cretaceous Burmese amber.
abstract: The bee fossil record is fragmentary, making it difficult to accurately estimate the antiquity of bee-mediated pollination. Here, we describe a bee fossil [Melittosphex burmensis (new species), Melittosphecidae (new family)] from Early Cretaceous Burmese amber (approximately 100 million years before the present). The fossil provides insights into the morphology of the earliest bees and provides a new minimum date for the antiquity of bees and bee-mediated pollination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-2907, USA.
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Poinar
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Danforth
mesh_terms: D018647:Amber; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D005580:Fossils; D008297:Male; D002052:Myanmar; D011058:Pollen; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000033:anatomy & histology
chemical_list: D018647:Amber