Bitter Waxcap vs Buff-tailed Mining Bee

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Andrena humilis

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Buff-tailed Mining Bee is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Buff-tailed 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 humilis

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Buff-tailed 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.

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, 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.

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

The Buff-Tailed Mining Bee (Andrena humilis) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden