Graue Sandbiene vs Fly Agaric

Andrena cineraria compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Graue Sandbiene	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Fungi (Pilze)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Basidiomycota (Ständerpilze)
Class	Insecta (Insekten)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Hymenoptera (Hautflügler)	Agaricales (Champignonartige)
Family	Andrenidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Andrena	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Andrena cineraria	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Graue Sandbiene

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Graue Sandbiene	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Graue Sandbiene

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

Fly Agaric

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Graue Sandbiene

Ashy mining bee (Andrena cineraria) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden