Black-headed Mining Bee vs Cliff Mining Bee

Andrena nigriceps compared with Andrena thoracica

Key Differences

• Black-headed Mining Bee is Near Threatened while Cliff Mining Bee is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-headed Mining Bee	Cliff Mining Bee
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)
Class same	Insecta (แมลง)	Insecta (แมลง)
Order same	Hymenoptera (แตน)	Hymenoptera (แตน)
Family same	Andrenidae	Andrenidae
Genus same	Andrena	Andrena
Species	Andrena nigriceps	Andrena thoracica

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-headed Mining Bee and Cliff Mining Bee share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Andrena.

Conservation Status

Black-headed Mining Bee

NT — Near Threatened

Cliff Mining Bee

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-headed Mining Bee	Cliff Mining Bee
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-headed Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Cliff Mining Bee

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Black-headed Mining Bee

The Black-headed Mining Bee (Andrena nigriceps) is a species in the genus Andrena. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Cliff Mining Bee

The Cliff Mining Bee, Andrena species in the family Andrenidae, is a solitary ground-nesting bee that excavates tunnels in cliff faces, earthen banks, and compacted sandy or loamy soils, where the loose or friable substrates exposed in cliff profiles provide ideal nesting conditions. Mining bees in the genus Andrena are among the most species-rich solitary bee genera in the world, with hundreds of species across the Holarctic region, many narrowly specialized in their choice of pollen host plants. Female cliff mining bees construct vertical or angled burrows in cliff faces, with lateral cells off the main shaft, each containing a pollen ball and a single egg. Males are typically smaller and emerge before females to establish territories near nesting sites. Many Andrena species are oligolectic, collecting pollen from only a small number of plant species, making their populations sensitive to the availability of specific flowering plants in the landscape surrounding nesting areas. Cliff and bank nesting habitats provide well-drained, sun-warmed substrates essential for brood development. The loss of natural cliff faces and earthen banks to development, vegetation succession, and quarrying reduces available nesting habitat for cliff mining bees.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden