Usia Latreille

Greathead, D. J. & Evenhuis, N. L., 2001, Annotated keys to the genera of African Bombylioidea (Diptera: Bombyliidae; Mythicomyiidae), African Invertebrates 42 (1820), pp. 105-224 : 139

Usia Latreille

Voluccella Fabricius, 1794: 412 . Type species: Voluccella florea Fabricius, 1794 , automatic (by designation of type species for Usia Latreille ).

Usia Latreille, 1802: 430 (unjustified new replacement name for Voluccella Fabricius, 1794 ). Type species: Voluccella florea Fabricius, 1794 , by subsequent designation (Fabricius, 1810: 443).

Zerinthia Rafinesque, 1815: 130 (unnecessary new replacement name for Usia Latreille, 1802 ). Type species: Voluccella florea Fabricius, 1794 , automatic.

[In the interest of stability and usage, the name Usia is maintained here. An application to the I.C.Z.N. to conserve Usia over Voluccella is in preparation. See Evenhuis (1991: 77–78) for details on the nomenclatural history of Usia Latreille and Voluccella Fabricius. ]

Comments: The genus Usia is less widespread than Parageron , with the majority of species confined to the Mediterranean Basin. They are shining black, often glinting with metallic colours.

Key: Engel (1932 –7), Paramonov (1947 1950), and for Egypt, Efflatoun (1945) provided keys to species of Usiini , but species allocations between Usia and Parageron have changed since these keys were written.

Hosts: Usia (Usia) atrata (Fabricius) has been reared from the pupa of a tenebrionid in

France ( du Merle 1975).

Subgenus Micrusia Evenhuis

Micrusia Evenhuis, 1990 a: 38 . Type species: Usia forcipata Brullé, 1833 , by original designation.

Distribution: Mediterranean Basin. North Africa: 5 species; Usia aurata (Fabricius) , U. forcipata Brullé , U. novakii Strobl , U. pusilla Meigen , U. versicolor (Fabricius) .

Subgenus Usia Latreille

Distribution: Mediterranean Basin to central Asia and India. Canary Islands: 1 species; U. arida Báez. North Africa: 22 species, reaching as far south as the Sudan.