Buff-tailed Mining Bee vs Lesser Prickly Sedge

Andrena humilis compared with Carex muricata

Key Differences

• Buff-tailed Mining Bee is Extinct while Lesser Prickly Sedge is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff-tailed Mining Bee	Lesser Prickly Sedge
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Poales (Grasses)
Family	Andrenidae	Cyperaceae
Genus	Andrena	Carex
Species	Andrena humilis	Carex muricata

Conservation Status

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Lesser Prickly Sedge

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff-tailed Mining Bee	Lesser Prickly Sedge
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.

Lesser Prickly Sedge

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Ecuador). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden