Common Mourning Bee vs Foca Pia

Melecta albifrons compared with Pagophilus groenlandicus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Mourning Bee	Foca Pia
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)
Family	Apidae (Bees)	Phocidae (True Seals)
Genus	Melecta	Pagophilus
Species	Melecta albifrons	Pagophilus groenlandicus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Mourning Bee and Foca Pia share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Mourning Bee

NE — Not Evaluated

Foca Pia

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Mourning Bee	Foca Pia
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Mourning Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Foca Pia

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Common Mourning Bee

<em>Melecta albifrons</em>, the common mourning bee, is a solitary bee in the family Apidae, tribe Melectini. This species is a cleptoparasite, meaning it lays its eggs in the nests of other bee species rather than constructing its own nests or provisioning them with pollen. <em>Melecta albifrons</em> typically targets the nests of mining bees in the genus Anthophora, which are ground-nesting species common across Europe. The mourning bee is named for its dark, somber coloration punctuated by white or pale hair patches, giving it a distinctive appearance. Its geographic range includes temperate Europe, with recorded occurrences in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden, typically in habitats where its Anthophora hosts are present, including gardens, hedgerows, meadows, and areas with bare sandy or clay soils. The species has not been formally evaluated under the IUCN Red List framework. Biological traits such as lifespan, body size, and diet remain poorly documented for this species beyond its known cleptoparasitic behavior. Conservation of <em>Melecta albifrons</em> is closely linked to maintaining healthy populations of its host bee species, and broader pollinator-friendly habitat management.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden