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Villa Modesta
''Villa modesta'' is a species of fly in the family Bombyliidae. The larvae may feed on larvae of Lepidoptera. Distribution ''Villa modesta'' can be found in June to September in coastal dune areas throughout mainland Europe, in Britain and to the north in Norway. Description ''Villa modesta'' is a fairly large fly, the body length is 10–14 mm. The body is brown. The female has pale bands on tergites 2,3 and 4. The male does not have bands but has tufts of hair at the end of the abdomen and at the base of the wings. The wings are transparent with a narrow brown front margin. Behaviour Like many other bombyliids, the eggs are flicked by the adult females toward dark holes. The females may be found hovering near a dark hole in the sand shooting eggs. An animation, 6 times retarded, is given here. Every now and then the females are rubbing the abdomen in the sand in a small circular movement. Sand is necessary to make the eggs less tacky. To this end the females do have a sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johann Wilhelm Meigen
Johann Wilhelm Meigen (3 May 1764 – 11 July 1845) was a German entomologist famous for his pioneering work on Diptera. Life Early years Meigen was born in Solingen, the fifth of eight children of Johann Clemens Meigen and Sibylla Margaretha Bick. His parents, though not poor, were not wealthy either. They ran a small shop in Solingen. His paternal grandparents, however, owned an estate and hamlet with twenty houses. Adding to the rental income, Meigen's grandfather was a farmer and a guild mastercutler in Solingen. Two years after Meigen was born, his grandparents died and his parents moved to the family estate. This was already heavily indebted by the Seven Years' War, then bad crops and rash speculations forced the sale of the farm and the family moved back to Solingen. Meigen attended the town school but only for a short time. He had learned to read and write on his grandfather's estate and he read widely at home as well as taking an interest in natural history. A lodge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
