One week into spring, officially, and Styphelia ericoides is already past its prime. Fruits are now forming in the wake of earlier blooms. Yet clusters of flowers and buds remain on some plants, and they continue to cater for their share of small bees.

Exoneura sp.

Last spring I spotted these bees for the first time and was puzzled. The apically flattened abdomen is characteristic of Exoneura ... but those huge, bulging eyes and the very hairy face!?! After a bit of research the puzzle was solved ... these features are characteristic of the males of some species within the subgenus Exoneura (Exoneura). And now, almost exactly 12 months later, they make another appearance.

Exoneura robusta (link to iNaturalist record)