Alfken's Mini-miner vs Common gorse

Andrena alfkenella compared with Ulex europaeus

Key Differences

Alfken's Mini-miner is Near Threatened while Common gorse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alfken's Mini-miner	Common gorse
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Andrenidae	Fabaceae
Genus	Andrena	Ulex
Species	Andrena alfkenella	Ulex europaeus

Conservation Status

Alfken's Mini-miner

NT — Near Threatened

Common gorse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alfken's Mini-miner	Common gorse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alfken's Mini-miner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Common gorse

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and deserts and xeric shrublands, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (8 countries), Europe (15 countries), North America (6 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (8 countries).

Alfken's Mini-miner

The Alfken's Mini-miner (Andrena alfkenella) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Common gorse

<em>Ulex europaeus</em>, commonly known as common gorse, is a spiny evergreen shrub belonging to the genus Ulex within the legume family Fabaceae. The species occupies a remarkable breadth of habitat types, including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, dry broadleaf forests, and deserts and xeric shrublands, among at least eight recognized biome categories. Its global range is exceptionally wide, spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, with records from numerous countries on each continent. Notably introduced and sometimes invasive outside its European origin, common gorse typically colonizes disturbed lands, heathlands, and coastal scrub. The species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.