Common Mourning Bee vs Square-spotted Mourning Bee

Melecta albifrons compared with Melecta luctuosa

Key Differences

• Common Mourning Bee is Not Evaluated while Square-spotted Mourning Bee is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Mourning Bee	Square-spotted Mourning Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (artrópode)	Arthropoda (artrópode)
Class same	Insecta (inseto)	Insecta (inseto)
Order same	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family same	Apidae (Bees)	Apidae (Bees)
Genus same	Melecta	Melecta
Species	Melecta albifrons	Melecta luctuosa

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Mourning Bee and Square-spotted Mourning Bee share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Melecta.

Conservation Status

Common Mourning Bee

NE — Not Evaluated

Square-spotted Mourning Bee

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Mourning Bee	Square-spotted Mourning Bee
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.

Square-spotted Mourning Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, 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 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇸🇪 Sweden