Antrocaryon vs Common Mourning Bee

Antrocaryon micraster compared with Melecta albifrons

Key Differences

• Antrocaryon is Vulnerable while Common Mourning Bee is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Antrocaryon	Common Mourning Bee
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Anacardiaceae	Apidae (Bees)
Genus	Antrocaryon	Melecta
Species	Antrocaryon micraster	Melecta albifrons

Conservation Status

Antrocaryon

VU — Vulnerable

Common Mourning Bee

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Antrocaryon	Common Mourning Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Antrocaryon

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Guinea. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Mourning Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Antrocaryon

The Antrocaryon (Antrocaryon micraster) is a species in the genus Antrocaryon. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populatio.

Common Mourning Bee

<em>Melecta albifrons</em>, the common mourning bee, is a solitary bee in the family Apidae, tribe Melectini. This species is a cleptoparasite, meaning it lays its eggs in the nests of other bee species rather than constructing its own nests or provisioning them with pollen. <em>Melecta albifrons</em> typically targets the nests of mining bees in the genus Anthophora, which are ground-nesting species common across Europe. The mourning bee is named for its dark, somber coloration punctuated by white or pale hair patches, giving it a distinctive appearance. Its geographic range includes temperate Europe, with recorded occurrences in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden, typically in habitats where its Anthophora hosts are present, including gardens, hedgerows, meadows, and areas with bare sandy or clay soils. The species has not been formally evaluated under the IUCN Red List framework. Biological traits such as lifespan, body size, and diet remain poorly documented for this species beyond its known cleptoparasitic behavior. Conservation of <em>Melecta albifrons</em> is closely linked to maintaining healthy populations of its host bee species, and broader pollinator-friendly habitat management.