Blackthorn Mining Bee vs

Andrena varians compared with Microbotryum scorzonerae

Key Differences

Blackthorn Mining Bee is Least Concern while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blackthorn Mining Bee
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Microbotryomycetes (Microbotryomycetes)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Microbotryales (Microbotryales)
Family	Andrenidae	Microbotryaceae
Genus	Andrena	Microbotryum
Species	Andrena varians	Microbotryum scorzonerae

Conservation Status

Blackthorn Mining Bee

LC — Least Concern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blackthorn Mining Bee
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.

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Microbotryum scorzonerae is a smut fungus specifically parasitizing Scorzonera and related plants in the daisy family. It replaces the pollen and ovules of host plants with dark spore masses, reducing host reproduction. This highly specialized pathogen inhabits grasslands and steppe environments where its Scorzonera hosts occur.