A RARE species of bumblebee has been spotted in East Lothian.
A county resident managed to take a close-up photo of a red-tailed cuckoo bumblebee, only the fourth time that one has been spotted in Scotland.
Abbie Marland spied the insect in coastal grassland near Gullane on June 6.
Murdo Macdonald, national bumblebee expert from the Highland Biological Recording Group, verified the sighting and recognised it to be a Bombus rupestris. They can be identified by their fully black bodies with red tail.
It is a large species, with the females growing to a length of around 20 to 25 mm and the biggest wingspan of any bumblebee.
Since Abbie’s surprise sighting, the bee has been spotted an additional four times in the county.
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