Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee vs Patchwork Leaf-Cutter Bee

Megachile maritima compared with Megachile centuncularis

Key Differences

• Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee is Vulnerable while Patchwork Leaf-Cutter Bee is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee	Patchwork Leaf-Cutter Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family same	Megachilidae	Megachilidae
Genus same	Megachile	Megachile
Species	Megachile maritima	Megachile centuncularis

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee and Patchwork Leaf-Cutter Bee share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Megachile.

Conservation Status

Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee

VU — Vulnerable

Patchwork Leaf-Cutter Bee

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal Leaf-Cutter Bee	Patchwork Leaf-Cutter Bee
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.

Patchwork Leaf-Cutter Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (United States).

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg