Velvet ants (Mutillidae) are a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their resemblance to an ant, and their dense pile of hair, which most often is bright scarlet or orange, but may also be black, white, silver, or gold. Their bright colors serve as aposematic signals. They are known for their extremely painful stings,, and has resulted in the common name "cow killer" or "cow ant" being applied to the species Dasymutilla occidentalis. However, mutillids are not aggressive and sting only in defense. In addition, the actual toxicity of their venom is much lower than that of honey bees or harvester ants. Unlike true ants, they are solitary, and lack complex social systems.
Carl Robert Osten-Sacken or Carl-Robert Romanovich, Baron von der Osten-Sacken, Baron Osten Sacken was a German-Russian diplomat and entomologist. He served as the Russian consul general in New York City during the American Civil War, living in the United States from 1856 to 1877. He worked on the taxonomy of flies in general and particularly of the family Tipulidae.
Dasymutilla is a wasp genus belonging to the family Mutillidae. Their larvae are external parasites to various types of ground-nesting Hymenoptera. Most of the velvet ants in North America—the wingless females of which are conspicuous as colorful, fast, and "fuzzy" bugs—are in the genus Dasymutilla.
Dasymutilla occidentalis is a species of parasitoid wasp that ranges from Connecticut to Kansas in the north and Florida to Texas in the south. Adults are mostly seen in the summer months.
Aphaenogaster mariae is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. It nests in dead branches or beneath live bark of oak trees. Male specimens of this species were only discovered in 2021. The species is found in the eastern United States.
Dasymutilla aureola, also known as the Pacific velvet ant, is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, found in the western United States.
Dasymutilla sackenii, also known as Sacken's velvet ant, is a species of velvet ant, actually a type of wasp. It is found in Oregon, California, Nevada, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. As with most velvet ants, the males have wings and the females are wingless. The females of this species have cream-colored fuzz (setae) on their backs and black fuzz on their ventral side and legs. D. sackenii is most commonly observed May through October; observations December through February are very rare.
Dasymutilla satanas, also known as Satan's velvet ant, is a species of velvet ant found in the deserts of the Great Basin region of North America. The name is most likely a reference to the "hellish" deserts where it dwells. The females of this species are relatively large for the genus, comparable to the size of Dasymutilla magna or Dasymutilla sackenii females.
Dasymutilla bioculata is a species of velvet ant found in south-central North America, between roughly between the southern border of South Dakota and the northern border of Zacatecas. The specific name comes from the "two orange spots" on the second terga in males. Velvet ants are actually a type of parasitic wasp; Dasymutilla bioculata females lays their eggs inside the cocoons of other wasps. Males of this species are very difficult to visually distinguish from Dasymutilla quadriguttata and Dasymutilla vesta males. This species has 21 binonimal synonyms.
Dasymutilla arachnoides is a species of velvet ant found in North America. The female displays a "trifoliate pattern of black setae on tergum II." This species is widespread in Mexico and Central America as far south as Honduras.
Dasymutilla coccineohirta is a species of velvet ant found in North America. Coloration on the females is variant, ranging from red to white. It is found along the Pacific coast as far north as Washington and Idaho and as far south as Baja California state.
Dasymutilla creon is a species of velvet ant found in North America. Specimens have been collected from Kansas south to Texas and as far east as North Carolina.
Dasymutilla flammifera is a species of velvet ant found along the Pacific coast of North America and inland to Idaho and Arizona.
Dasymutilla gibbosa is a species of velvet ant found in the northeastern United States in North America. C. E. Mickel placed D. gibbosa in the Quadriguttata group of the genus.
Dasymutilla thetis, also known as the minute thistledown velvet ant, is a species of velvet ant known only from Arizona in North America. It was first described by Charles A. Blake as Sphaerophthalma thetis in 1886. Individuals are about 7 mm long. Females are "clothed entirely with ivory-white setae."
Dasymutilla gorgon is a species of velvet ant native to central North America from Colorado to Louisiana.
Dasymutilla leda is a species of velvet ant native to North America. Found in the central United States from South Dakota to Texas, only females have been collected by scientists but "distribution and coloration suggest that D. myrice may be the male of this species."
Dasymutilla montivagoides is a species of velvet ant native to North America. The species is found in the central United States, specifically Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Dasymutilla nigripes is a species of velvet ant native to North America. This species is widespread throughout the United States and is also found in Alberta in Canada.
Dasymutilla nogalensis is a species of velvet ant native to North America. The male and female of this species were originally described in 1928 by C. E. Mickel as Dasymutilla atrifulva and Dasymutilla nogalensis, respectively. The two species names were synonymized by Manley and Pitts in 2007. This species is found the southwest, namely the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora, and the American states of Arizona and New Mexico.
