Colletes escalerai

Description:

At the end of January this species starts flying at the south coast of Portugal near the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa in the Algarve. It is probably only one of few species with such an early flight period in this region. Photos and videos by my brother. Often found on Fabaceae, like Retama monosperma. Many thanks to M. Kuhlmann and I. Cross for help with the identification. Jelle Devalez