Villa bivirgata Austen, 1937

El-Hawagry, Magdi S. & Greathead, David J., 2006, Review of the genus Villa Lioy (Bombyliidae, Diptera) from Egypt, with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 1113, pp. 21-32 : 25-27

Villa bivirgata Austen, 1937

Villa bivirgata Austen, 1937: 137 .

Villa ventruosa ( Loew, 1869:194) : Bezzi, 1925: 227; Steyskal & El Bialy, 1967: 18 (misidentifications)

Villa laevis Becker, 1915: 318 : Steyskal & El Bialy, 1967; 18 (misidentification)

This is the first record of this species from the Egyptian fauna. The male syntype of Anthrax ventruosa Loew, 1867 (Sicilien, Zeller, 26.vi.1840. [Antennal flagella missing]) from ZMHB was examined. [Note: the female syntype mentioned by Loew appears to have been lost and Engel (1937) was incorrect to list two females in ZMHB.] It has black hair on the frons only and black leg bristles, otherwise the vestiture is predominantly pale ochreous yellow except for white scales on abdominal tergites 6–7. There are also some black scales present on the hind margin of tergite 1 in the middle, posterior halves of tergites 2–3 in the middle and hind margin of tergite 4. The patagium and costal comb have ochreous scales and the costal cell and wing base are tinged yellow. Legs brown. Length, 8.5 mm. Dissection of the genitalia of this unique specimen was not permitted. However, examination of the genitalia of topotypic specimens might show that this is yet another form of the variable species V. ixion (Fabricius) .

The two surviving female syntypes of Villa laevis Becker, 1915 ( Tunis, El Ariana; Tunis, Lac Sedjouni) from ZMHB were examined. The vestiture on the dorsal surface is partly lost but they are clearly very close to V. ventruosa in colour and distribution of vestiture except that, as is usual for female Villa spp., there is less long hair and denser scaling, the vestiture on tergites 6–7 is the same colour as on the rest of the abdomen and the legs are a paler yellow­brown. The antennal flagella are conical at the base narrowing to a thin rod near the middle. This is possibly the female of V. ventruosa but topotypic specimens from Sicily are needed to confirm this.

Specimens identified from Egypt as V. ventruosa and V. l a e v i s differ from both the these species in having yellow­brown vestiture; black scales on the posterior halves of tergites 2–4 in the middle and on the base of tergite 5; some long black hairs among the pale ones on the hind margins of the posterior tergites of females; well developed silver scales on the patagium and costal comb of males and dull ochreous scales on females; larger 9–11mm; body broader. In addition the flagellum is rounded at the base, tapering abruptly to a narrow rod about 3 times length of the rounded basal part.

Egyptian specimens correspond with V. b i v i rg a t a Austen ­ holotype female in BMNH ( Palestine: Athlit, 25.vii.1920 (Captain P.J. Barraud) examined. The male genitalia are as illustrated for a specimen of V. bivirgata from Saudi Arabia ( Greathead, 1980). Villa bivirgata is also a common species in Jordan ( Arabyat et al., 2004) as well as Palestine. Thus the Egyptian species is V. bivirgata and is clearly distinct from both V. ventruosa and V. l a e v i s. Villa bivirgata is similar in appearance to V. cana but differs most notably from it in not having the black scale bands on the abdominal tergites reaching the sides of the tergites; in not having distinct black scale tufts at the sides of tergites 5–6, although in some specimens there may be one or two black scales; in not having very dark blackish legs with greyish scales but brown legs and ochreous scales; antennal flagellum not conical at base and gradually tapering; in having a more rounded, less elongate and not parallel sided abdomen. Male genitalia ( Fig. 4 ).

Material examined. EGYPT: 1Ψ, Barrage, 16.vi.1924 (Efflatoun) ' Villa ventruosa Lw' det. Bezzi; 1Ψ, El Mallah, 29.iv.1927 (Farag) (headless); 1ɗ, Ezbet­el­Nakhl, 13.iv.1922 (Efflatoun); 1Ψ, same except, 25.ix.1926; 1Ψ, Faraskure, 7.vii.1926 (M. Tewfik); 1ɗ, Gebel el Asfar, 25.x.1925 (Kasim) (dissected); 1Ψ, same except, 2.xi.1925; 1ɗ, Marg, 1.iv.1923 (Efflatoun) (dissected); 2ΨΨ, Wadi Abu Hussayyen, Helwan, 23.ix.1927 (Farag); 1Ψ, Wadi Hetiem South Beir Maskhara, 3.x.1927 (Farag), ' Villa ventruosa Lw' [orange label]; 1Ψ, Wadi Seyyal, 16.ix.1927 (Farag). [ CUE *]. 1ɗ, Farskour, 7.vii.1928 (Shefik) (dissected); 4ΨΨ, Fayoum, 23.iv.1943 (Shafik); 1ɗ, Mariout, 18.iv.1925 (Efflatoun) (dissected) [ CUE].

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 6. Male genitalia: 3. V. aegyptiaca Engel, lateral view; 4. V. bivirgata Austen: a. lateral view, b. tip of epiphallus; 5. V. cana Meigen: a. lateral view, b. tip of epiphallus; 6. V. micrargyra (Walker), lateral view.