Thistledown Velvet Ant

Dasymutilla gloriosa

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Superfamily: Pompiloidea
Family: Mutillidae
Subfamily: Sphaeropthalminae
Tribe: Dasymutillini
Genus: Dasymutilla
Species: gloriosa

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Dasymutilla gloriosa: /ˌdæsɪmjuˈtɪlə ɡloʊˈriːəsə/

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Summary

Dasymutilla gloriosa, or thistledown velvet ant, is a wingless female member of the mutillid family, known for its painful sting and camouflage resembling Creosote bush seeds. It inhabits desert areas in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

Physical Characteristics

Body length 13-16 mm, black-red in color, covered by long white hair in wingless females.

Identification Tips

Females resemble a tuft of down or creosote seeds, with a somewhat red-tinged integument compared to Dasymutilla pseudopappus, and less erect setae on the head and thorax.

Habitat

Deserts or near-deserts.

Distribution

Southwestern United States (TX, NV, CA) and south into Mexico; common in Texas.

Diet

Larvae feed on the larvae of sand-wasps and the food provided by adult wasps within their burrows.

Life Cycle

Females lay eggs in the burrows of sand-wasps such as Bembix; pupation occurs in the larval chambers of the host.

Reproduction

Eggs are laid in the burrows of sand-wasps, where larvae develop and feed on host larvae.

Ecosystem Role

Plays a role as a parasite of sand-wasp larvae, impacting their populations.

Health Concerns

Females can deliver a very painful sting as a defense mechanism.

Evolution

Coloration primarily adapted to hot desert conditions, with some aposematic coloration characteristics.

Misconceptions

Females were once thought to mimic the seeds of the Creosote bush, but their coloring is primarily adaptive to environmental conditions rather than predation.