Big-eared Flying Fox vs Chocolate Mining Bee

Pteropus macrotis compared with Andrena carantonica

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Big-eared Flying Fox Chocolate Mining Bee
Kingdom same Animalia (Animals) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Chordata (Chordates) Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Mammalia (Mammals) Insecta (Insects)
Order Chiroptera (Bats) Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats) Andrenidae
Genus Pteropus (Flying Foxes) Andrena
Species Pteropus macrotis Andrena carantonica

Evolutionary Relationship

Big-eared Flying Fox and Chocolate Mining Bee share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Big-eared Flying Fox

LC — Least Concern

Chocolate Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Big-eared Flying Fox Chocolate Mining Bee
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big-eared Flying Fox

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Chocolate Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Big-eared Flying Fox

The Big-eared Flying Fox (Pteropus macrotis) is a species in the genus Pteropus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Chocolate Mining Bee

The Chocolate Mining Bee (Andrena carantonica) is a medium-sized solitary bee in the family Andrenidae, native to Europe and extending across temperate Eurasia. Mining bees of the genus Andrena are ground-nesting bees that excavate burrows in soft or sandy soils, creating underground cells provisioned with pollen and nectar as larval food. Andrena carantonica is one of several spring-emerging Andrena species associated with fruit trees and spring-flowering plants; females frequently visit the flowers of apple, cherry, hawthorn, willow, and other early-season species, making them important pollinators of both wild plants and orchard crops. The species is often an early-season visitor alongside other spring bees, making it an important pollination service provider before managed honeybee colonies are at full strength. Males typically emerge before females, patrolling host plant patches in search of mates. The species is eusocial in the broad sense, with females sometimes nesting in loose aggregations in favoured soil sites. The IUCN classifies Andrena carantonica as Least Concern; it is one of the more widespread and frequently recorded Andrena species across its range. Threats to mining bee populations generally include loss of nesting habitat (bare ground), loss of floral resources through agricultural intensification, and pesticide use.

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