Blackthorn Mining Bee vs Giant Polypore

Andrena varians compared with Meripilus giganteus

Key Differences

• Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern while Giant Polypore is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Giant Polypore
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Polyporales (Polyporales)
Family	Andrenidae	Meripilaceae
Genus	Andrena	Meripilus
Species	Andrena varians	Meripilus giganteus

Conservation Status

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

Giant Polypore

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blackthorn Mining Bee	Giant Polypore
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blackthorn Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Giant Polypore

Habitat

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

Range

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

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