BEE FLY
Villa lateralis
BEE FLY FAMILY (Bombyliidae)
A small fly about 8 mm long with clear wings, black thorax, black abdomen covered with short black hair and white hair at segment joints. Segment one is broadly banded in white, segment three has two prominent white tufts, one on each side. Eyes are brown, antennae short. Legs are black.
This bee fly is widely distributed in North America and can be found from coast to coast, in Puerto Rico and as far south as Panama. The individual shown was photographed in September 2017 in the restored butterfly garden at the Fontenelle Forest wetlands.
This bee fly occurs in two forms, the spring form being smaller than the late summer/fall form. It is known to be a parasitoid of owlet moths, several species of butterflies, horse and deer flies, darkling beetles and antlions. There are 45 species in the genus Villa in North America.
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