Hottentot fly
| Hottentot fly | ||||||||||||
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Villa hottentotta |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Villa hottentotta | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Hottentot fly ( Villa hottentotta ) is a fly from the family of Wollschweber (Bombyliidae).
features
The flies reach a body length of 11 to 19 millimeters. Their body has a broad abdomen, the head covered with yellow scaly hair is spherical. The forehead is covered in black hair and the face does not protrude from the edge of the mouth. The proboscis is short and fleshy and invisible when viewed from above. The front area of the thorax is thick and long hairy. The wings are transparent and have no stains. Only the edge cell and the base are tinted slightly ocher yellow. The tarsi are missing the adhesive flaps. The abdomen has golden yellow hair and golden yellow scales on the sternites . Tufts of black hair sit on the sides of the fifth and sixth abdominal segments.
Occurrence and way of life
The species is common in North Africa, Europe and Asia. The adults can be seen visiting flowers from spring to summer. They also like to sunbathe on sandy areas on the ground. The adult flies feed on pollen and nectar.
supporting documents
literature
- Joachim Haupt, Hiroko Haupt: Flies and Mosquitoes. Observation, way of life . 1st edition. Naturbuch-Verlag, Jena and Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-89440-278-4 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article about the Hottentot fly. Accessed June 14, 2017