Anomalous Flapwort vs Cliff Mining Bee

Mylia anomala compared with Andrena thoracica

Key Differences

Anomalous Flapwort is Critically Endangered while Cliff Mining Bee is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Anomalous Flapwort	Cliff Mining Bee
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Jungermanniales (Jungermanniales)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Myliaceae	Andrenidae
Genus	Mylia	Andrena
Species	Mylia anomala	Andrena thoracica

Conservation Status

Anomalous Flapwort

CR — Critically Endangered

Cliff Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Anomalous Flapwort	Cliff Mining Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Anomalous Flapwort

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

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

Cliff Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Anomalous Flapwort

The Anomalous Flapwort (Mylia anomala) is a species in the genus Mylia. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Cliff Mining Bee

The Cliff Mining Bee, Andrena species in the family Andrenidae, is a solitary ground-nesting bee that excavates tunnels in cliff faces, earthen banks, and compacted sandy or loamy soils, where the loose or friable substrates exposed in cliff profiles provide ideal nesting conditions. Mining bees in the genus Andrena are among the most species-rich solitary bee genera in the world, with hundreds of species across the Holarctic region, many narrowly specialized in their choice of pollen host plants. Female cliff mining bees construct vertical or angled burrows in cliff faces, with lateral cells off the main shaft, each containing a pollen ball and a single egg. Males are typically smaller and emerge before females to establish territories near nesting sites. Many Andrena species are oligolectic, collecting pollen from only a small number of plant species, making their populations sensitive to the availability of specific flowering plants in the landscape surrounding nesting areas. Cliff and bank nesting habitats provide well-drained, sun-warmed substrates essential for brood development. The loss of natural cliff faces and earthen banks to development, vegetation succession, and quarrying reduces available nesting habitat for cliff mining bees.