This subspecies was originally found in the Cantabrian Range. Today it occurs at the northwest quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula, spreading to the south to the Sierra de Sintra and more rarely eastward to the Pyrenees. It appears from 50 to 2175 m and flies on meadows and pastures, foraging on species of Araliaceae, Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Orchidaceae, and Scrophulariaceae (Ornosa & Ortiz-Sánchez 2004).
This subspecies has not been recorded in the present samplings (Table 3), but some recent few individuals were collected in Picos de Europa (Cantabria: Áliva, 17- VI-2006, 1 worker, C. Ornosa leg., UCME; Bielva, VII-2007, 1 queen, P. Vargas leg., UCME) and in Galicia (Pontevedra: Moscoso, 10-28-VII-2012, R. Outerelo, 1 male, 6 workers, R. Outerelo leg., UCME).