Bitter Waxcap vs Blackthorn Mining Bee

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Andrena varians

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Blackthorn Mining Bee
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Andrenidae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Andrena
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Andrena varians

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Blackthorn Mining Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Waxcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Blackthorn Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Bitter Waxcap

The Bitter Waxcap (Hygrocybe mucronella) is a species in the genus Hygrocybe. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Blackthorn Mining Bee

The Blackthorn Mining Bee (Andrena varians) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden