Alfken's Mini-miner vs Sand Digger Wasp

Andrena alfkenella compared with Mellinus crabroneus

Key Differences

• Alfken's Mini-miner is Near Threatened while Sand Digger Wasp is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alfken's Mini-miner	Sand Digger Wasp
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Andrenidae	Crabronidae
Genus	Andrena	Mellinus
Species	Andrena alfkenella	Mellinus crabroneus

Evolutionary Relationship

Alfken's Mini-miner and Sand Digger Wasp share a common ancestor at the Order level: Hymenoptera. (Ants, Bees & Wasps)

Conservation Status

Alfken's Mini-miner

NT — Near Threatened

Sand Digger Wasp

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alfken's Mini-miner	Sand Digger Wasp
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.

Sand Digger Wasp

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden