''Anthophora retusa'', the potter flower bee, is a species of

solitary Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * shortened form of solitary confinement * Solitary animal, an animal that does not live with others in its species * Solitary but social, a type of social organization in ...

digger bee The Anthophorini are a large tribe in the subfamily Apinae of the family Apidae. Species in this tribe are often referred to as digger bees, although this common name is sometimes also applied to members of the tribe Centridini. It contains over ...

Distribution

''A. retusa'' is generally found in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

and southern

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, ''A. retusa'' is thought to be limited to five sites, including

Seaford Head Nature Reserve Seaford Head is a Local Nature Reserve east of Seaford in East Sussex. It is part of Seaford to Beachy Head Site of Special Scientific Interest An area of is owned by Seaford Town Council and managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust. The rest is ...

Identification

''A. retusa'' can be differentiated from ''

Anthophora plumipes The hairy-footed flower bee (''Anthophora plumipes'') is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae. Distribution These bees are widespread in most of Europe and Asia from Britain to China and Japan, the Near East and in North Africa. In ...

'' by the hind-tibial spurs; in ''A. plumipes'' they are black while in ''A. retusa'' they are yellow or yellow-brown.

Habitat

''A. retusa'' prefers sandy soils and is generally found on

coastal dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

s and cliffs as well as inland on commons and

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

Population

''A. retusa'' has suffered population decline since the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

but undergone rapid decline since the 1990s, similar to that seen in some

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...

species. It is an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

in Britain.

References

Apinae {{Apinae-stub