Anthracite Bee-fly vs Common Peony

Anthrax anthrax compared with Paeonia officinalis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Anthracite Bee-fly	Common Peony
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Diptera (Diptera)	Saxifragales (Saxifragales)
Family	Bombyliidae	Paeoniaceae
Genus	Anthrax	Paeonia
Species	Anthrax anthrax	Paeonia officinalis

Conservation Status

Anthracite Bee-fly

LC — Least Concern

Common Peony

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Anthracite Bee-fly	Common Peony
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Anthracite Bee-fly

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Common Peony

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

Anthracite Bee-fly

The Anthracite Bee-fly (Anthrax anthrax) is a species in the genus Anthrax. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Common Peony

<em>Paeonia officinalis</em>, the common peony, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, widely cultivated for its large, showy flowers ranging from deep red to pink and white. In the wild, it typically grows in open woodlands, scrublands, and rocky hillsides across southern and central Europe, with native or naturalised populations documented in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Canada, and numerous other European and North American countries. The species prefers well-drained soils in partially shaded to open positions and produces large, deeply divided leaves alongside its ornamental blooms, which appear in late spring. <em>Paeonia officinalis</em> has a long history of medicinal and ornamental use spanning millennia, and numerous cultivated varieties have been developed. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting stable populations in many parts of its native range, though wild populations can be locally threatened by over-collection, agricultural expansion, and habitat conversion. Biological traits such as average lifespan of individual plants, precise dimensions, and detailed dietary or metabolic data remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The species plays a role in supporting pollinators, particularly beetles and bees that visit its flowers.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway