Jersey Mason Bee
Osmia niveata
The Jersey Mason Bee (Osmia niveata) is a solitary bee species with a distinctive white-banded abdomen and robust, dark body that measures approximately 10-12mm in length. This specialized pollinator plays a crucial role in maintaining coastal plant communities, particularly favoring spring-blooming wildflowers and shrubs.
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Hymenoptera
Family
Megachilidae
Genus
Osmia
Jersey Mason Bee belongs to the family Megachilidae, order Hymenoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
The Jersey Mason Bee (Osmia niveata) is a solitary bee species with a distinctive white-banded abdomen and robust, dark body that measures approximately 10-12mm in length. This specialized pollinator plays a crucial role in maintaining coastal plant communities, particularly favoring spring-blooming wildflowers and shrubs. As a cavity-nesting species, it constructs individual brood cells in hollow stems, beetle burrows, and crevices in coastal cliffs.
The Jersey Mason Bee faces severe threats primarily from habitat loss due to coastal development and quarrying activities that destroy its specialized nesting sites in soft sandstone cliffs. Climate change and sea level rise pose additional risks to its extremely limited coastal habitat on Jersey, while the species' tiny population size makes it vulnerable to stochastic events and genetic bottlenecks.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
This species inhabits coastal grasslands, cliff-top meadows, and sandy heathlands along maritime zones where it requires both nesting sites in natural cavities and access to diverse native flowering plants. It shows particular affinity for areas with soft rock faces, old stone walls, and stabilized sand dunes that provide suitable nesting substrates within foraging distance of coastal wildflower communities.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The Jersey Mason Bee faces severe threats primarily from habitat loss due to coastal development and quarrying activities that destroy its specialized nesting sites in soft sandstone cliffs. Climate change and sea level rise pose additional risks to its extremely limited coastal habitat on Jersey, while the species' tiny population size makes it vulnerable to stochastic events and genetic bottlenecks.
Climate change and sea level rise
Extremely small population size
Habitat loss from coastal development
Limited geographic range
Quarrying and cliff face destruction
National vs Global Threat Status
How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (CR).
| Country | National Status | Global Status | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | LCLeast Concern | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.
Community Sightings
Report a sightingNo community sightings yet. Be the first to report!
Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Jersey Mason Bee (Osmia niveata). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/jersey-mason-bee