Villa Lioy 1864

Genus Villa Lioy, 1864

The genus Villa is one of the largest and most widespread genera of Bombyliidae with more than 250 species on all continents except Antarctica and on many oceanic islands (Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999, 2003). It belongs to the tribe Villini within the subfamily Anthracinae (keys to genera in Greathead & Evenhuis, 1997, 2001). It is characterised by having a rounded, not prominent face; antenna with only one flagellomere; a relatively elongate parallel­sided body with a pattern of black, brown and yellow or whitish vestiture; usually with a well developed patagium; wing hyaline or with a simple basicostal infuscation; male genitalia with a large tongue­shaped epiphallus often bearing a pair of apical spines. The Palaearctic fauna includes several species groups with different structure of the epiphallus, first noted by François (1969). He noted that many species from Asia have a compact body, predominantly pale whitish vestiture and fine spicules on the epiphallus. The present species has these characteristics. It is similar in appearance to V. niphobleta Loew, described from Greece and known from France and Tunisia eastwards to Afghanistan, which has the coloration of the Asiatic species group but an epiphallus similar to the majority of European species with apical spines and without spicules.