Buff-tailed Mining Bee vs Common Dodder

Andrena humilis compared with Cuscuta gronovii

Key Differences

Buff-tailed Mining Bee is Extinct while Common Dodder is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buff-tailed Mining Bee	Common Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum	Arthropoda (節足動物)	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)
Class	Insecta (昆虫)	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)
Order	Hymenoptera (ハチ目)	Solanales (ナス目)
Family	Andrenidae	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Andrena	Cuscuta
Species	Andrena humilis	Cuscuta gronovii

Conservation Status

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Common Dodder

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buff-tailed Mining Bee	Common Dodder
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

Common Dodder

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (11 countries) and North America (United States).

Buff-tailed Mining Bee

The Buff-Tailed Mining Bee (Andrena humilis) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Common Dodder

<em>Cuscuta gronovii</em>, the common dodder, is a parasitic annual vine in the family Convolvulaceae. This species is distributed across eleven European countries as well as the United States, where it typically inhabits diverse terrestrial environments including wetland margins, roadsides, thickets, and disturbed vegetation. Unlike most plants, <em>Cuscuta gronovii</em> lacks chlorophyll and is entirely dependent on host plants for water and nutrients, which it extracts through specialized structures called haustoria. The common dodder typically has slender, twining orange or yellowish stems and produces small, clustered white or pale pink flowers in late summer. It often parasitizes a broad range of host species, including many herbaceous and shrubby plants. Once attached to a host, it typically sheds its connection to the soil and relies entirely on the host for sustenance. The species is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting its wide distribution and ability to colonize disturbed habitats. Its parasitic life history makes it ecologically notable among flowering plants.