Buffish Mining Bee vs Verrucarum Sandfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Buffish Mining Bee Verrucarum Sandfly
Scientific Name Andrena nigroaenea Lutzomyia verrucarum
Order Hymenoptera Diptera
Family Andrenidae Psychodidae
Size 12-15 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Fruit Feeders Carrion Feeders
Regions Europe, North Africa Peru, Andean valleys of South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Buffish Mining Bee

A large mining bee with a dark metallic body and buff-brown thoracic fur. It is one of the main hosts of the early-flying nomada cuckoo bees.

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Did You Know?

It sometimes nests in dense aggregations of hundreds of burrows per square meter, creating a moonscape appearance on lawns.

Verrucarum Sandfly

A small sandfly found in the inter-Andean valleys of Peru, serving as the vector of Bartonella bacilliformis, which causes Carrion's disease (Oroya fever and verruga peruana). It is active at dusk and night at altitudes between 800 and 3,000 meters.

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Did You Know?

Carrion's disease killed thousands of workers during construction of the Lima-La Oroya railway in the 1870s.