Four-banded Furrow Bee vs African Acacia Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Four-banded Furrow Bee African Acacia Ant
Scientific Name Halictus quadricinctus Pseudomyrmex sp. (African mimic: Tetraponera penzigi)
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Halictidae Formicidae
Size 14-16 mm 3-6 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Nectar Feeders Gall Makers
Regions Southern and Central Europe, Western Asia East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania
Conservation Near Threatened Least Concern

Four-banded Furrow Bee

A large, robust halictid bee with four prominent white hair bands across its dark abdomen. It is one of the biggest sweat bees in Europe.

💡

Did You Know?

At up to 16 mm long, it is almost as large as a honey bee and dwarfs most other species in its family.

African Acacia Ant

A slender ant inhabiting the swollen galls of whistling thorn acacias in East Africa. Multiple ant species compete for occupation of these trees in a well-studied ecological system.

💡

Did You Know?

Four different ant species compete for whistling thorn acacias, with each species altering tree growth in different ways.