Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee vs North American least shrew

Megachile maritima compared with Cryptotis parva

Key Differences

• Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee is Vulnerable while North American least shrew is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee	North American least shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Megachilidae	Soricidae
Genus	Megachile	Cryptotis
Species	Megachile maritima	Cryptotis parva

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee and North American least shrew share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

VU — Vulnerable

North American least shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee	North American least shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Luxembourg. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

North American least shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

Megachile maritima, the coastal leaf-cutter bee, is a solitary bee in the family Megachilidae that constructs nests from leaf pieces cut from plants using its mandibles, a behaviour characteristic of the entire genus. The species is native to western and northern Europe, with confirmed populations in Belgium, Denmark, and Luxembourg, inhabiting coastal sand dunes, sandy grassland, and inland sandy heathland where it nests in the ground in loose, well-drained sandy soil. Female Megachile maritima cut semicircular pieces from the leaves of various plants, particularly vetches, clovers, and other legumes, to line the individual brood cells she constructs within the nest burrow. Each cell is provisioned with a pollen and nectar paste before a single egg is laid and the cell sealed with additional leaf pieces. Males emerge first and patrol vegetation in search of females. The species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, reflecting substantial population declines associated with the loss of open sandy habitats through coastal development, vegetation succession and scrub encroachment on dunes, reduction of foraging plant diversity through agricultural intensification, and general declines in wild bee populations across northwestern Europe driven by pesticide use and habitat loss.