Cliff Mining Bee vs Swamp Beacon

Andrena thoracica compared with Mitrula elegans

Key Differences

• Cliff Mining Bee is Extinct while Swamp Beacon is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cliff Mining Bee	Swamp Beacon
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Leotiomycetes (Leotiomycetes)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Helotiales (Helotiales)
Family	Andrenidae	Cenangiaceae
Genus	Andrena	Mitrula
Species	Andrena thoracica	Mitrula elegans

Conservation Status

Cliff Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Swamp Beacon

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cliff Mining Bee	Swamp Beacon
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cliff Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Swamp Beacon

Habitat

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

Range

Found in United States.

Cliff Mining Bee

The Cliff Mining Bee, Andrena species in the family Andrenidae, is a solitary ground-nesting bee that excavates tunnels in cliff faces, earthen banks, and compacted sandy or loamy soils, where the loose or friable substrates exposed in cliff profiles provide ideal nesting conditions. Mining bees in the genus Andrena are among the most species-rich solitary bee genera in the world, with hundreds of species across the Holarctic region, many narrowly specialized in their choice of pollen host plants. Female cliff mining bees construct vertical or angled burrows in cliff faces, with lateral cells off the main shaft, each containing a pollen ball and a single egg. Males are typically smaller and emerge before females to establish territories near nesting sites. Many Andrena species are oligolectic, collecting pollen from only a small number of plant species, making their populations sensitive to the availability of specific flowering plants in the landscape surrounding nesting areas. Cliff and bank nesting habitats provide well-drained, sun-warmed substrates essential for brood development. The loss of natural cliff faces and earthen banks to development, vegetation succession, and quarrying reduces available nesting habitat for cliff mining bees.