Willughby's Leafcutter Bee Megachile willughbiella

I found this clinging to the side of my shed at dawn - presumably it had roosted there. I keyed the live bee to Willughby's (and then released it). Most of the hairs on the top of the head were black which contrasted with the buff-haired thorax, which briefly led me to consider Coast Leafcutter Bee Megachile maritima, but some hairs on the head were paler and the pollen brush under the abdomen was clearly orange not whitish. The hairs on the basitarsus were not as long as shown in photos of maritima.

female Willughby's Leafcutter Bee Megachile willughbiella showing head and front tarsus, North Elmham (Norfolk, UK), 18th June 2026