Alpine Silk-moss vs Blackthorn Mining Bee

Plagiothecium platyphyllum compared with Andrena varians

Key Differences

• Alpine Silk-moss is Near Threatened while Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Silk-moss	Blackthorn Mining Bee
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Hypnales (Hypnales)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Plagiotheciaceae	Andrenidae
Genus	Plagiothecium	Andrena
Species	Plagiothecium platyphyllum	Andrena varians

Conservation Status

Alpine Silk-moss

NT — Near Threatened

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Silk-moss	Blackthorn Mining Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Silk-moss

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

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

Blackthorn Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Alpine Silk-moss

The Alpine Silk-moss (Plagiothecium platyphyllum) is a species in the genus Plagiothecium. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Distributed across Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Blackthorn Mining Bee

The Blackthorn Mining Bee (Andrena varians) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden