Atlantic Ancula vs Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Ancula gibbosa compared with Megachile maritima

Key Differences

• Atlantic Ancula is Least Concern while Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Ancula	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Nudibranchia (Nudibranchia)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Goniodorididae	Megachilidae
Genus	Ancula	Megachile
Species	Ancula gibbosa	Megachile maritima

Evolutionary Relationship

Atlantic Ancula and Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Atlantic Ancula

LC — Least Concern

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Ancula	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Ancula

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Luxembourg. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Atlantic Ancula

The Atlantic Ancula (Ancula gibbosa) is a species in the genus Ancula. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Megachile maritima, the coastal leaf-cutter bee, is a solitary bee in the family Megachilidae that constructs nests from leaf pieces cut from plants using its mandibles, a behaviour characteristic of the entire genus. The species is native to western and northern Europe, with confirmed populations in Belgium, Denmark, and Luxembourg, inhabiting coastal sand dunes, sandy grassland, and inland sandy heathland where it nests in the ground in loose, well-drained sandy soil. Female Megachile maritima cut semicircular pieces from the leaves of various plants, particularly vetches, clovers, and other legumes, to line the individual brood cells she constructs within the nest burrow. Each cell is provisioned with a pollen and nectar paste before a single egg is laid and the cell sealed with additional leaf pieces. Males emerge first and patrol vegetation in search of females. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, reflecting substantial population declines associated with the loss of open sandy habitats through coastal development, vegetation succession and scrub encroachment on dunes, reduction of foraging plant diversity through agricultural intensification, and general declines in wild bee populations across northwestern Europe driven by pesticide use and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark