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The Bee Flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae) of Ontario, with a Key to the Species of Eastern Canada
CJAI 06 March 06, 2008
doi: 10.3752/cjai.2008.06

Joel H. Kits* , Stephen A. Marshall* , and Neal L. Evenhuis**

* Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone
Rd. E., Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada jkits@uoguelph.ca, samarsha@uoguelph.ca

** Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817, USA neale@bishopmuseum.org

 

10. Key to the Villa species of Ontario and eastern Canada

Larvae are mostly parasitoids of noctuid moths, and may also attack tenebrionid beetles. Key based in part on Painter (1926).

This genus needs to be revised based on male genitalia; the characters used in this key may not be reliable and identifications based on them should be regarded as tentative. Some forms treated here may not be good species.

1. Tarsal claws of forelegs similar in size to those of other legs (Figure 45a). Fore tibia with prominent spines, sides of abdomen with long, flattened black scales (Figure 46) gracilis*
  11 mm. Not recorded from Ontario (apparently extremely rare, recorded from Pennsylvania, Florida).  
- Tarsal claws of forelegs much smaller than those of other legs (Figure 45b). Fore tibia with prominent spines or sides of abdomen with long, flattened scales, but never with both characters 2

2. Sides of abdomen with long flattened scales (Figure 47a). Fore tibia usually without spines, or with tiny spines 3
- Sides of abdomen with normal pile only, not flattened scales (Figure 47b). Fore tibia usually with robust spines 9

3. Wing extensively smoky brown (Figure 65g). Abdomen with distinct bands of black and yellow tomentum (Figure 48) fumicosta
  7-8 mm. Rarely collected, known from near Guelph and Ottawa (uncommon, known only from Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Coahuila in Mexico). Adults recorded in July and Aug.  
- Wing mostly clear, costa and subcosta sometimes brownish (Figure 65f). Abdomen pattern variable 4

4. Sides of thorax and first three abdominal segments with deep orange pile (Figure 49a), tomentum of face black (Figure 50a) shawii*
  7 mm. Not recorded from Ontario (occurs on the east coast of the U.S. north to New Hampshire).  
- Sides of thorax and first three abdominal segments with yellow pile sometimes mixed with black (Figure 49b), tomentum of face pale (Figure 50b) or black 5

5. Abdomen uniformly colored or with narrow bands of light-coloured tomentum; thorax with black tomentum dorsally (Figure 51a) 6
- Abdomen with wide bands of light-coloured tomentum ; thorax with a triangle of light tomentum in front of scutellum (Figure 51b) 8

6. Pile on pleuron (side of thorax) entirely pale (Figure 52a) 7
- Patch of black pile present on lower pleuron (Figure 52b) nigra
  6-12 mm. Widespread in Ontario, collected as far north as Moosonee. (widespread in eastern U.S.; also Colorado). Adults fly June – Aug.  

7. Tomentum of face pale (Figure 50b) atra
  6-9 mm. Southern Ontario, rarely collected (eastern U.S. southwest to New Mexico). Adults recorded in July and August.  
- Tomentum of face black johnsoni*
  Not recorded from Ontario (eastern U.S.). Not illustrated.  

8. Light-coloured tomentum uniformly yellowish (Figure 53a) lateralis
  5-13 mm. Widespread in Ontario, north to Thunder Bay District (widespread Canada south to Panama and Caribbean). Adults fly June – Sept.  
- Light-coloured tomentum white on anterior part of abdomen, yellow on abdominal segment 7 and pre-scutellar triangle (Figure 53b) arenicola
  5-9 mm. Rarely collected in Ontario, but widespread (also northern U.S.). Adults fly July – Aug.  

9.  Abdomen with only yellow pile on sides of segment 3 (Figure 54a) 10
- Abdomen with black pile on the sides of segment 3 (Figure 54b) 12

10. Abdomen with alternating bands of black and pale tomentum; pile on sides of segments 5 and 6 mostly black (Figure 55a) pretiosa
  9-16 mm. Widespread, recorded north to Thunder Bay District (Canada south to Utah and California). Adults fly June – July. We are uncertain if this northeastern population is conspecific with true V. pretiosa, but in the absence of a generic revision we are treating it under this name.  
- Abdomen without alternating bands of tomentum; pile on sides of segments 5 and 6 mostly yellow to orange, occasionally with some black pile mixed in (Figure 55b) 11

11. Pile and tomentum on face, legs, ventral side of body, and dorsum of last 4 abdominal segments black (Figure 56a); leading edge of wings dark smoky grey (Figure 65i) nigricauda
  8-15 mm. Widespread, north to Thunder Bay District (northeastern U.S.; also Colorado). Adults fly July – Sept.  
- Pile and tomentum on body almost entirely yellow (Figure 56b); leading edge of wings pale brown to clear (Figure 65h) fulviana
  11-14 mm. One Ontario record from near Kenora (July) (widespread southern Canada, western, northern, and northeastern U.S.).  

12. Dark pile present on pleuron (Figure 57a) 13
- Pleuron with only pale pile (Figure 57b) 14

13. Abdominal segment 4 without pale tomentum or pile (Figure 58a) hypomelas
  13-16 mm. Southern Ontario, north to Algonquin Provincial Park, St. Joseph Is. (southern Canada south to central and eastern U.S.). Adults fly July – Sept.  
- Abdominal segment 4 with pale tomentum and pile (Figure 58b) nigropecta
  13-15 mm. Southern Ontario, north to Algonquin Provincial Park (also present, but uncommon, in the central U.S.). Adults fly late June – Sept.  

14.  Wings almost entirely clear, slightly brownish at base (Figure 65f) 15
- Wings mostly clear but with brownish colour extending to vein M, crossvein r‑m, and tip of vein R1 (Figure 65j) vestita*
  Known only from the type locality in  Nova Scotia.  

15. Abdomen distinctly banded, tergite 2 with pale tomentum only on anterior half (Figure 59a) alternata
  10-17 mm. South of Canadian Shield in Ontario (northern and eastern U.S.). Adults fly July – Sept.  
- Abdomen without distinct bands, tergite 2 with pale tomentum throughout (Figure 59b) handfordi
  12-15 mm. Widespread but rarely collected in Ontario (also known from Manitoba). Adults recorded in July and Aug.  

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