Synonyms
Nomada bucephalae Perkins, 1917
Distribution
Southern England and Wales. Very local, but occasionally abundant in the vicinity of the nests of its mining bee host. The mainland European distribution of this bee probably mirrors that of its host species.
Status (in Britain only)
Listed as Rare (RDB3) in Shirt (1987) and by Falk (1991).
Habitat
Open sites that support nesting aggregations of Andrena bucephala Stephens.
Flight period
Univoltine; late April to mid June.
Nesting biology
A cleptoparasite of A. bucephala and frequently observed (often in numbers) about the communal nest burrows of this host species.
Flowers visited
Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis) and dandelion (Taraxacum sp.).
Parasites
None recorded.
Year profile last updated
Profile written:
Updated: 22 December 2011