Brindled Flat-body vs Sand-Blattschneiderbiene

Agonopterix arenella compared with Megachile maritima

Key Differences

• Brindled Flat-body is Least Concern while Sand-Blattschneiderbiene is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brindled Flat-body	Sand-Blattschneiderbiene
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class same	Insecta (Insekten)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)	Hymenoptera (Hautflügler)
Family	Depressariidae	Megachilidae
Genus	Agonopterix	Megachile
Species	Agonopterix arenella	Megachile maritima

Evolutionary Relationship

Brindled Flat-body and Sand-Blattschneiderbiene share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insekten)

Conservation Status

Brindled Flat-body

LC — Least Concern

Sand-Blattschneiderbiene

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brindled Flat-body	Sand-Blattschneiderbiene
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brindled Flat-body

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Sand-Blattschneiderbiene

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.

Brindled Flat-body

The Brindled Flat-body (Agonopterix arenella) is a species in the genus Agonopterix. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Sand-Blattschneiderbiene

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 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark