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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 » Common Eastern Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis)
Photo#663691
Velvet ant??? - Dasymutilla occidentalis - female
Copyright © 2012 Garrett Dyer

Velvet ant??? - Dasymutilla occidentalis - Female
Seagoville, Dallas County, Texas, USA
June 25, 2012
Size: approx 1 inch
It is fast!!! It was hard to get it still long enough to take the picture, but I finally got one and then let it on its way. It almost looks like some sort of wasp without wings.
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Contributed by Garrett Dyer on 25 June, 2012 - 8:21pm
Last updated 12 July, 2012 - 2:05pm

Moved
Moved from Velvet Ants.
… George Waldren, 12 July, 2012 - 2:05pm login or register to post comments

Cropped and moved for expert attention.
Moved from ID Request.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 3 July, 2012 - 11:04pm login or register to post comments

Most definitely velvet ant
Though I can't tell you which. And you're totally correct, they ARE female wasps with no wings. The males are winged, but have no sting, if I'm correct.
… Amy Goodman, 25 June, 2012 - 8:55pm login or register to post comments

 
Wow! Great, thank you for th
Wow! Great, thank you for the reply! I did not realize their sting was so bad, I am glad my gut told me not to directly handle it :)
… Garrett Dyer, 25 June, 2012 - 9:06pm login or register to post comments

 
I think your image is a Cowkiller
click here for more info. I definitely could be wrong though.
… Amy Goodman, 25 June, 2012 - 10:00pm login or register to post comments

 
You're right.
Also right that males don't have a sting. The sting is a modified ovipositor, so only females have it.
… Andrew Meeds, 26 June, 2012 - 8:39am login or register to post comments

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