Tiny Bee Fly: Villa Sp

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer, December 

Order: Diptera 

Suborder: Brachycera 

Infraorder: Asilomorpha 

Superfamily: Asiloidea 

Family: Bombyliidae 

Subfamily: Anthracinae 

Tribe: Villini 

Subfamily: Exoprosopinae 

Genus: Villa

This is a very tiny Bee Fly measuring about 1 to 2 cms in length. It is bright golden in colour. This was seen perching on dry vegetation and dry sand. The other Bee Fly was fighting for the perching spot. It belongs to the genus Villa. The wings are clear with no black shading or line on the coastal margin. The abdominal bandings are golden and black. Again, hard to pin point the species.
Other Bee Flies: See here

Villa Bee Fly

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer, December 

Order: Diptera 

Suborder: Brachycera 

Infraorder: Asilomorpha 

Superfamily: Asiloidea 

Family: Bombyliidae 

Subfamily: Anthracinae 

Tribe: Villini 

Subfamily: Exoprosopinae 

Genus: Villa

Another species of Bee Fly I found from the Genus Villa can be seen here.

This Bee Fly is morphologically different from the one before. This Bee Fly is yellowish golden in colour. It has black, white and yellow bands of varying breadths. The wing is darkly shaded on the coastal margin of the ring becoming clearer towards posterior margin, however lacks the distinct dark like of the previous species spotted. It is considerably smaller in size than the previous one, measuring about 3 cms in length.

Villa is a big genus within which there are many species. Species identification relies on intricate detail of venation, abdominal rings and tomentum. The species of this particular Bee Fly cannot be determined just by the picture.

Villa Bee Fly

Location: Western Australia, South West

Season: Summer, December

Order: Diptera 

Suborder: Brachycera 

Infraorder: Asilomorpha 

Superfamily: Asiloidea 

Family: Bombyliidae

Subfamily: Anthracinae

Tribe: Villini

Subfamily: Exoprosopinae

Genus: Villa

This is not a bee but a bee fly which belongs to the same family as bees (Bombyliidae). It is resembles a bee to make its predators think it is a bee hence warding them off. Bee fly is a stingless fly. It is a main pollinator for many desert plants. My resarch shows that this is a Villa Bee fly. Species identification depends on the venation, the colouration of abdominal bands, the colour and distribution of tomentum (hair on the sides). This bee fly I spotted has black and white banding with the 4th band the lightest. The tomentum on the thorax is yellowish. There is a distinct white spot at the top wing base (humeral plate), the costal margin of the wings is dark. I can't tell what species this is.

Here is a guide to species identification of Canadian Villa Bee Flies: http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/ejournal/kme_06/villa.html

Here is some information about Australian flies of subfamily Anthracinae
http://australasianasiloidea.myspecies.info/category/asiloidea/bombyliidae/anthracinae