This is a striking red and black Andrena which at a glance bears some resemblance to a Sphecodes. It is a small species with blood red colouration in the middle of the abdomen (tergites 2, 3 and sometimes part of 4). Females are otherwise black in colour with brown leg hairs and a few sparse pale hairs on the head and thorax. The foveae are pale and relatively narrow and the terminal fringe is dark brown. The clypeus is densely punctured, the scutum is moderately desnely punctured and dull, whilst the pygidial plate (the triangular projection at the rear end of the abdomen) is flat. Males are similar in colour and have a white clypeus. They are best separated from males of Andrena potentillae by checking the genitalia.

Distribution: Found over much of Europe and only absent from Ireland, Norway, northern Fennoscandia and most Mediterranean islands. It also occurs in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Georgia, Russia, Iran, Krgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

Flight Period: Univoltine, flying in a single generation between late March and July, peaking in May in most areas.

Habitat: A variety of habitats are used, including lush woodland edges and clearings, flower-rich meadows, subalpine grassland, coastal grassland, brownfield land and field margins.

Flowers Visited: A variety of flowers are used including speedwells (Veronica), daisies (Bellis), forget-me-nots (Myosotis) and star-of-bethelem (Ornithogalum).

Personal Records: I have recorded this species in the alpine valleys around the village of Cogne in northwestern Italy. On one occasion I observed a female nesting in bare soil at the edge of a track well above the treeline.