Common Yellow-face Bee vs Ontong Java Flying Fox

Hylaeus communis compared with Pteropus howensis

Key Differences

• Common Yellow-face Bee is Least Concern while Ontong Java Flying Fox is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Yellow-face Bee	Ontong Java Flying Fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Colletidae	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Hylaeus	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Hylaeus communis	Pteropus howensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Yellow-face Bee and Ontong Java Flying Fox share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Yellow-face Bee

LC — Least Concern

Ontong Java Flying Fox

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Yellow-face Bee	Ontong Java Flying Fox
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Yellow-face Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Ontong Java Flying Fox

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Common Yellow-face Bee

<em>Hylaeus communis</em>, the common yellow-face bee, is a small solitary bee in the family Colletidae. It is widely distributed across much of Europe and western Asia, where it is one of the most frequently encountered members of its genus. The species inhabits a broad range of open and semi-open habitats including gardens, meadows, hedgerows, heathlands, and woodland edges, often nesting in existing cavities such as hollow plant stems, galls, and old beetle burrows. Adults are small, typically 6–8 mm in length, and are characterized by yellow facial markings on an otherwise black body, the pattern being more extensive in males than females. Biological traits such as average lifespan, precise body weight, and detailed population estimates remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Unlike many bees, <em>Hylaeus</em> species lack specialized pollen-carrying structures; instead, they transport pollen and nectar internally in their crop. Adults visit a wide variety of flowers for food and are considered polylectic generalists. <em>Hylaeus communis</em> is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its broad distribution and tolerance of diverse habitats, though it may be affected by loss of nesting sites and floral diversity in intensively managed landscapes.