This is a medium-small species, similar in appearance to several species in the subgnenus Chlorandrena, such as Andrena humilis. The females are black in colour with buff hairs on the head, thorax and legs. The abdomen has a light covering of pale buff hairs which are denser along the rear margin of each tergite. The terminal fringe and hind tibia hairs are golden-orange and the tarsi and hind tibia are lightenened orange. Crucially, the hind femur lacks a row of small spines, the hind tibia hairs are branched (plumose) and both the clypeus and thorax (scutum) are moderately shiny. Males are smaller and duller with brown hairs and lightened dull orange tibia and tarsi. The antennae are somewhat shiny underneath and the abdomen and thorax are densely punctured and also relatively shiny.

Distribution: A widespread species in Europe, absent only from Ireland, northern Fennoscandia, southern and central Iberia and most Mediterranean islands. It is also present in northern Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Russia.

Flight Period: Univoltine, generally flying between May and August.

Habitat: An inhabitant of open habitats with a relative abundance of yellow Asteraceae, such as meadows, dry grasslands, field margins, subalpine pastures, scrub and heathlands.

Flowers Visited: A specialist on yellow Asteraceae, including hawksbeards (Crepis), hawkweeds (Pilosella), cat’s-ears (Hypochaeris) and dandelions (Taraxacum). Both sexes will also visit these plants for nectar.

Personal Records: I have recorded this species in the near Cogne in northwestern Italy. Here females could be observed foraging on flowers such as Golden Hawksbeard (Crepis aurea) in the subalpine and alpine meadows.