''Apis nearctica'' is an extinct species of

honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...

which existed in what is now

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

during the Middle

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

period. It was discovered at Stewart Valley, Nevada, and described by Michael S. Engel, Ismael A. Hinojosa-Díaz, and Alexandr P. Rasnitsyn in 2009. The species belongs to the extinct ''armbrusteri'' species group, is most similar to the extinct species ''Apis armbrusteri'' from the Miocene of southwestern Germany, and both species may be related by geological range. This is the first and only known ''Apis'' species range in the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

, although it is a fossil. And is the first and only fossil species ranged there.

References

nearctica, † Prehistoric insects of North America Hymenoptera of North America Miocene insects of North America Fossil taxa described in 2009 Insects described in 2009 Fossil bee taxa Taxa named by Michael S. Engel {{paleo-insect-stub