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Hello,

I'm trying to identify this insect (genus Villa) photographed during my hollidays in august 2017 in Idaho (Craters of the Moon National Reserve) on a Rubber rabbitbrush.
It looks like Villa lateralis in the gallery, but I don't know what I must look to recognize it.

Thank you for your help (and excuse my poor English, I'm french).
Alain

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Some Anthracinae, including this group, require a revision with designation of neotypes before names can be definitively assigned. Say's types are lost and even where species limits are known, it can be unclear which species he had. A recent key to Villa of eastern Canada may help: http://cjai.biolo...villa.html. It says that V. lateralis has yellow bands on the abdomen, not white. V. arenicola has mostly white bands. The next reference is Painter (1926), https://kb.osu.ed...04_205.pdf. He considered arenicola as a variety.

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Thank you for you answer, specially for the first link. Although we don't see well the legs, this key conducts to V. Arenicola.
Indeed, V. gracilis is not similar. There's flattened scales on the abdomen. The wings are clear. The lateral tomentum on the upper abdomen is yellow, not orange. The thorax has a triangle of light tomentum in front of scutellum. The abdominal light bands of tomentum are white in the anterior part and yellowish at the abdominal end and above the scutellum.
It's not so important if "arenicola" must be considered as a species or just variety.

It helped a lot, thanks !

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Last question, it seems to be a male, but the difference with female eyes is not very evident. Do you confirm it is a male ?

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I don't know how to sex these.

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OK, thanks.