Buff-tailed Mining Bee vs Common Gold-Dust

Andrena humilis compared with Chrysothrix xanthina

Key Differences

• Buff-tailed Mining Bee is Extinct while Common Gold-Dust is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff-tailed Mining Bee	Common Gold-Dust
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Arthoniomycetes (Arthoniomycetes)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Arthoniales (Arthoniales)
Family	Andrenidae	Chrysotrichaceae
Genus	Andrena	Chrysothrix
Species	Andrena humilis	Chrysothrix xanthina

Conservation Status

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Common Gold-Dust

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff-tailed Mining Bee	Common Gold-Dust
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Common Gold-Dust

Habitat

Native to North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and United States.

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.

Common Gold-Dust

<em>Chrysothrix xanthina</em>, commonly known as common gold-dust, is a crustose lichen in the family Chrysotrichaceae. The species has been documented in Brazil, Colombia, and the United States, indicating a distribution across parts of South and North America. Lichens in the genus <em>Chrysothrix</em> are characterized by their powdery, brightly colored thallus, and <em>C. xanthina</em> is typically recognized by its distinctive yellow-gold granular coating on its substrate, produced by pigments including calycin and vulpinic acid. <em>Chrysothrix xanthina</em> typically grows on the bark of trees and occasionally on rock surfaces in humid forest and woodland habitats, where it forms conspicuous yellow patches. The species is not currently evaluated for conservation status. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. As a lichen, <em>Chrysothrix xanthina</em> represents a symbiotic association between a fungal partner (mycobiont) and one or more photosynthetic partners (algae or cyanobacteria), and contributes to nutrient cycling and substrate weathering in the ecosystems it inhabits.