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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Spider Wasps, Velvet Ants and allies (Pompiloidea) » Velvet Ants (Mutillidae) » Sphaeropthalminae » Dasymutillini » Dasymutilla » Magnificent Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla magnifica)

Species Dasymutilla magnifica - Magnificent Velvet Ant

Classification · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · Works Cited
Dasymutilla magnifica - female Velvet Ant/Cow Killer ? - Dasymutilla magnifica - female dasymutilla magnifica - Dasymutilla magnifica - male dasymutilla magnifica - Dasymutilla magnifica - female Velvet Ant ? - Dasymutilla magnifica - female Banning crawler - Banning, CA - Dasymutilla magnifica Scoliid Wasp? - Dasymutilla magnifica - male Dasymutilla sp. - Dasymutilla magnifica - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Pompiloidea (Spider Wasps, Velvet Ants and allies)
Family Mutillidae (Velvet Ants)
Subfamily Sphaeropthalminae
Tribe Dasymutillini
Genus Dasymutilla
Species magnifica (Magnificent Velvet Ant)
Explanation of Names
Dasymutilla magnifica Mickel 1928
Identification
This is one of several Dasymutilla species within a Müllerian mimicry ring where the head and thorax black and the abdomen predominantly red. This species is known from the desert southwest and is not known from Texas (the larger members of the ring here are D. klugii and D. gorgon). There are additional smaller species with this color pattern as well.
"can be recognized from similar large velvet ants by the red bands of setae on the underside of the abdomen. In most other velvet ants of this color, the underside of the abdomen is mostly black." --Kevin Williams (1)
Range
desert southwest (not extending into Texas)
Works Cited
1.Velvet Ant
Contributed by Joel Kits on 17 March, 2005 - 11:23pm
Additional contributions by v belov, PaleoJon
Last updated 6 June, 2023 - 8:57pm

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