Posted by Marion Friedrich on 03-08-2016 19:55
#1
Hello, this is my first Villa spec. from Germany. I met it between gardens and a forest in Saxony some days ago. It was a big fly with equally broad bright bands.
Is it V. hottentotta or another species?
Thanks, Marion
Posted by Sundew on 03-08-2016 22:57
#2
In Brandenburg 6
Villa species are known, and in Saxony the situation should be the same...
Villa is extremely difficult, which you will easily find out when using the "Forum Search" function that cannot be praised high enough. As our expert David Gibbs (unfortunately no longer active in the forum) pointed out many times, a series of collected animals, males and females, is necessary to be carefully examined and in the case of males dissected. Besides, a taxonomic revision of the genus is urgently needed to clarify lots of nomenclatural problems. So
Villa cf.
hottentotta at best...
Posted by Marion Friedrich on 04-08-2016 22:13
#3
Thank you very much for explaining the difficulties, Sundew.
Before submitting I visited the gallery were are some photos of
Villa hottentotta. In the internet I found the van Veen Bombyliidae key. Therefore, I was optimistic that an ID of a few species may be possible.
Marion