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Photo
Scientific Name: Villa sp.
Common Name: (a bee fly)
Family: Bombyliidae
Description: A female bee fly (Villa sp.) filling her &quot;sand chamber&quot; or &quot;psammophore&quot; in the fire road just northwest of pHake Lake.
Notes: According to Andy Calderwood: &quot;The &#039;sand chamber&#039; or &#039;psammophore&#039;, is a ventral abdominal pocket into which the eggs are laid, and a feature unique to &quot;higher&quot; Bombyliidae. It is said that eggs are coated with sand in the chamber to fascilitate release later. I think that, given the relative size of sand grains and Bombyliid eggs, the reverse is true: the tiny eggs coat sand grains in the chamber, which are heavy and easier to toss with accuracy, kind of like sticking a piece of gum to a baseball.&quot;
Location: Bernard Field Station
BFS Area: Central CSS
Photo Type: Animal--Insect
Photographer: Nancy Hamlett
Date Taken: 2014-08-17
Upload Date: 2014-09-03 06:54:34
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