Apis (Apis) aibai: A new species of Honeybee from the Early Pleistocene of Japan.

Honeybees, Apis spp., are important pollinators in modern ecosystems and agricultural settings, with one species, Apis mellifera being the world's most abundant domesticated Insect. There are nine described species of extant Honeybees, split into three genera, Cavity-nesting Honeybees Apis (Apis), Small Honeybees Apis (Micrapis), and Giant Honeybees Apis (Magaapis), although the Domestic Honeybee does not appear to fit into any of these, and may be a hybrid. Apis mellifera is found over a wide area of Asia, Africa, and Europe, but other extant species of Honeybee are restricted to tropical and subtropical areas of South and Southeast Asia, with the exception of Apis cerana, which has a range extending into temperate parts of East Asia. 

A number of Fossil Honeybee species have been described from the Oligocene and Miocene of Europe, East Asia, and North America, most of which are assigned to extinct subgenera. These include Apis (Cascapis) nearctica, Miocene, from Nevada, Apis (Priorapis) vetusta, Oligocene, Apis (Synapis) henshawi, Oligo-Miocene, and Apis (Cascapis) armbrusteri, Miocene, from Germany, Apis (Synapis) petrefacta, Oligocene, from Czechia, Apis (Synapis) miocenica, and Apis (Synapis) dalica, both Miocene, from China, Apis (Synapis) longtibia, and Apis (Megapis) lithohermaea, both Miocene, from Japan. Thus, of the three extant subgenera, only Apis (Megapis) has a fossil record, although phylogenetic reconstructions suggest that all three originated towards the end of the Eocene. A number of subfossil Honeybees are also known from Latest Pleistocene and Holocene deposits, all of which have been ascribed to living species.

In a paper published in the journal Zookeys on 13 October 2025, Yui Takahashi of the Keio Yochisha Elementary School, and Jun-ichi Takahashi of the Faculty of Life Sciences at Kyoto Sangyo University, describe a new species of Honeybee from the Early Pleistocene Teragi Group, of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

The Teragi Group comprises a series Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene lake deposits outcropping across eastern Tottori and northwestern Hyogo prefectures in southwestern Japan. The sedimentary deposits are interspersed with volcanic deposits, mostly from pyroclasic flows, the whole being contained within a volcanic collapse basin called the Teragi Cauldron. Fossils within this sequence come from the Haruki Mud, a series of sandstones and siltstones, with volcanic tuff layers, laid down between 2.8 and 2.2 million years ago. These deposits produce abundant Plant and Insect fossils, and although well known to fossil collectors, have not been extensively studied by scientists. An analysis of leaf fossils from the Haruki Mud suggests that the ancient lake was surrounded by temperate woodland.

Locality of the studied specimen. (A) Map of the Japanese Islands; (B) Distribution of the Teragi Cauldron between Tottori and Hyogo prefectures. (C) Simplified geological map of the Teragi Cauldron, representing the fossil locality; (D) Photo of the riverside fossil locality (35°29'39.41"N, 134°26'24.53"E), with whitish tuffaceous siltstones. Takahashi & Takahashi  (2025).

As with many Insect groups, it is possible to classify Bees entirely upon the venation of their wings, which has been shown to be a good proxy for taxonomic relationships. Based upon this, Takahashi and Takahashi feel confident in assigning the new species to subgenus level, identifying it as Apis (Apis) aibai, where 'aibai' honours the Japanese palaeontologist Hiroaki Aiba, who has studied the Umigami site from which the new fossil comes, and described a species of Nymphalid Butterfly from that site, for his contributions to Earth science education through the use of fossil collection activities.

Photographs of Apis (Apis) aibai (SOU-002). (A) Fossil-bearing piece (38.3 mm × 67.1 mm × 9.8 mm);  (B) Studied fossil reflecting dorsal view of SOU-002. Takahashi & Takahashi  (2025).

Apis (Apis) aibai is described from a single specimen, SOU-002, held in the collection of the Museum of  Unique Insect Fossils, in the town of Shin’onsen in Hyogo Prefecture. It is a middle-sized worker Honeybee preserved as a compression fossil with no counterpart. This specimen is 9.81 mm in length, but part of the head is missing, so it was probably about 10 mm long in life. 

Takahashi and Takahashi did not carry out a full phylogenetic analysis for Apis (Apis) aibai, but based upon its wing venation, they suggest that its closest known relative is probably Apis (Apis) nigrocincta, an extant species found in the Philippines and Indonesia. This suggests that the two species form a single clade (group of species with shared ancestry) which once had a wider distribution, including temperate Japan as well as the tropical regions of the Philippines and Indonesia. It has also previously been suggested that Apis (Apis) nigrocincta is the closest living relative of Apis cerana, the only native Honeybee species found in Japan today, suggesting that the three may form a single group.

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Three dead as Tropical Storm Krosa makes landfall in Japan.

Three people have died and more than fifty more have been injured after Tropical Storm Krosa made landfall on Honshū Islands, Japan, close to Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture, at about 3.00 pm local time on Thursday 15 August 2019. Neneko Mori, 11, died after being swept out to sea with her sister near Shimoda City; her body was later recovered at Shizuoka on the other side of Suruga Bay, her sister was able to swim back to shore alive. In Hyogo Prefecture fisherman Noriyuki Kumabuchi, 71, died after being swept into a river, and in in Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture an 82-year-old man died after being swept into the sea while tyong up a boat.

Large waves associated with Tropical Storm Krosa at Shirahama in Wakayama Prefecture. Tatsuya Onishi/Mainichi.

Wakayama Prefecture

Shirahama

Shirahama

The storm brought with it very high rainfall, with 869.5 mm of rain recorded in three hours at Yanase in Kochi Prefecture. This triggered a number of landslides, which are not thought to have caused any injuries but which have blocked roads in some areas. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. Other transport networks have also been disrupted, with numerous flights and rail services cancelled due to the storm.

Waves associated with Tropical Storm Krosa in Miyazaki Prefecture. Kyodo News/Reuters.

Tropical storms are caused by the warming effect of the Sun over tropical seas. As the air warms it expands, causing a drop in air pressure, and rises, causing air from outside the area to rush in to replace it. If this happens over a sufficiently wide area then the inrushing winds will be affected by centrifugal forces caused by the Earth's rotation (the Coriolis effect). This means that winds will be deflected clockwise in the northern hemisphere and anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere, eventually creating a large, rotating Tropical Storm. They have different names in different parts of the world, with those in the northwest Pacific being referred to as typhoons.

 A tree uprooted by Tropical Storm Kroda in Hiroshima. Kyodo News.

Despite the obvious danger of winds of this speed, which can physically blow people, and other large objects, away as well as damaging buildings and uprooting trees, the real danger from these storms comes from the flooding they bring. Each drop millibar drop in air-pressure leads to an approximate 1 cm rise in sea level, with big tropical storms capable of causing a storm surge of several meters. This is always accompanied by heavy rainfall, since warm air over the ocean leads to evaporation of sea water, which is then carried with the storm. These combined often lead to catastrophic flooding in areas hit by tropical storms.

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Fifteen known deaths as floods and landslides hit Japan.

Fifteen people are known to have died around 50 are missing and over 210 000 more have been forced to evacuate their homes as a series of landslides and floods swept across southwestern Japan this week. At least one person has died in a landslide in Okayama Prefecture, on southwestern Honshū Island, while in neighbouring Hiroshima Prefecture two people have died, one due to another landslide and the second a child caught in a flood, while five people are still missing after their hose collapsed. In Hyogo Prefecture three construction workers were swept down a storm drain by flooding, though two of these were pulled out alive. In Kyoto Prefecture a 52-year-old woman is reported to have died, though details of this incident have not yet been released. In Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku Island, a woman has been found dead after her house was hit by a landslide. Evacuation orders are in place for parts of Ibari, Osaka, Kobe, and Gifu prefectures.

A train derailed by a landslide in Saga Prefecture, Japan, earlier this week. STR/AFP/Getty Image.

Many areas of east and south Asia have been hit by exceptional rainfall this year, leading to a string of fatalities in flood and landslide events. Until now Japan has been relatively unaffected, but this week, Typhoon Prapiroon, which passed through the sea of Japan earlier this braining high rainfall with it, with as much as 400 mm of rain falling in a single day in some areas. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. Parts of Japan are currently considered to be at a higher risk of landslides due to a Magnitude 6.1 Earthquake in Kobe Prefecture last month, which weekend both man-made and geological structures in the region.

Road blocked by a landslide in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, on 4 July 2018. Gifu Prefectural Government.

Gifu Prefectural Government

Gifu Prefectural Government

Tropical storms (called Typhoons in the West Pacific and Indian Oceans) are caused by solar energy heating the air above the oceans, which causes the air to rise leading to an inrush of air. If this happens over a large enough area the in rushing air will start to circulate, as the rotation of the Earth causes the winds closer to the equator to move eastwards compared to those further away (the Coriolis Effect). This leads to tropical storms rotating clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere.These storms tend to grow in strength as they move across the ocean and lose it as they pass over land (this is not completely true: many tropical storms peter out without reaching land due to wider atmospheric patterns), since the land tends to absorb solar energy while the sea reflects it.

Floodwaters in Hiroshima City on Saturday 7 July 2018. Kyodo News.

The low pressure above tropical storms causes water to rise there by ~1 cm for every millibar drop in pressure, leading to a storm surge that can overwhelm low-lying coastal areas, while at the same time the heat leads to high levels of evaporation from the sea - and subsequently high levels of rainfall. This can cause additional flooding on land, as well as landslides.

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Ibaraki, Osaka

Ibaraki, Osaka

One person confirmed dead and two more missing as Typhoon Man-yi hits Japan.

A 71 year old woman has been confirmed dead after a landslip hit her home in Ritto City in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, on Monday 16 September 2013 following heavy rains associated with Typhoon Man-yi. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. Two more people are missing in Fukui and Hyogo Prefectures, where there has been extensive flooding, and around 200 000 people have been evacuated from their homes across the Kansai Region of south-central Honshū.

Flooding along the River Katsura in Kyoto, Japan, following the arrival of Typhoon Man-yi in the area. Kyodo News/AP.

Tropical storms are caused by solar energy heating the air above the oceans, which causes the air to rise leading to an inrush of air. If this happens over a large enough area the inrushing air will start to circulate, as the rotation of the Earth causes the winds closer to the equator to move eastwards compared to those further away (the Coriolis Effect). This leads to tropical storms rotating clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere.These storms tend to grow in strength as they move across the ocean and lose it as they pass over land (this is not completely true: many tropical storms peter out without reaching land due to wider atmospheric patterns), since the land tends to absorb solar energy while the sea reflects it.

The low pressure above tropical storms causes water to rise there by ~1 cm for every millibar drop in pressure, leading to a storm surge that can overwhelm low-lying coastal areas, while at the same time the heat leads to high levels of evaporation from the sea - and subsequently high levels of rainfall. This can cause additional flooding on land, as well as landslides.

See also Three dead as Tropical Storm Kong-Rey batters Taiwan, Widespread flooding as Typhoon Trami hits Fujian Province, China, Typhoon Utor hits south China, At least one person dead as Typhoon Utor sweeps across Luzon Island and Four confirmed dead in landslide in Akita Prefecture, Japan.

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