One of the smaller and less frequently encountered Nomada species. Its unusual pattern of creamy-yellow spots on a cherry-red background is distinctive, as is its habit of flying rapidly over the surface of loose sand in July and August. Females can be picked out from the mêlée as they occasionally land, stroke the sand with their antennae and start digging. This activity signals them having found the nest-tracer scent of their host bee Andrena argentata Smith.