Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events
TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
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) » Myrmosid Wasps (Myrmosidae) » Myrmosinae » Myrmosa » Myrmosa unicolor
Photo#146030
ant-mimic wingless wasp - Myrmosa unicolor
Copyright © 2007 tom murray

ant-mimic wingless wasp - Myrmosa unicolor
Groton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
September 16, 2007
Size: ~5mm

Images of this individual: tag all
ant-mimic wingless wasp - Myrmosa unicolor ant-mimic wingless wasp - Myrmosa unicolor
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by tom murray on 16 September, 2007 - 7:05pm
Last updated 10 October, 2007 - 7:17pm

Likely not a true mimic
Ants are closely related to other stinging wasps, so virtually any wasp minus wings looks anty. They look alike by common descent.
… James C. Trager, 17 December, 2020 - 4:21pm login or register to post comments

Thanks Kevin
I thought it looked somewhat like a velvet ant, but none that I'd ever seen before, so I didn't dare take a guess.
… tom murray, 10 October, 2007 - 7:17pm login or register to post comments

Myrmosa unicolor
These are currently included in the family Mutillidae, but it is possible that they will be moved to their own separate family after some molecular research. Unlike all other velvet ants, these wasps have the female thorax divided into two separate plates. The true velvet ant females have all of the thoracic plates fused together.
… Kevin Williams, 9 October, 2007 - 9:55am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies.
… Eric R. Eaton, 5 October, 2007 - 3:35pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
Site Map
Contact