Big-eared Hopping Mouse vs Common Mourning Bee

Notomys macrotis compared with Melecta albifrons

Key Differences

• Big-eared Hopping Mouse is Extinct while Common Mourning Bee is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big-eared Hopping Mouse	Common Mourning Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Apidae (Bees)
Genus	Notomys	Melecta
Species	Notomys macrotis	Melecta albifrons

Evolutionary Relationship

Big-eared Hopping Mouse and Common Mourning Bee share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Big-eared Hopping Mouse

EX — Extinct

Common Mourning Bee

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big-eared Hopping Mouse	Common Mourning Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big-eared Hopping Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Common Mourning Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Big-eared Hopping Mouse

The Big-eared Hopping Mouse (Notomys macrotis) is a species in the genus Notomys. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.