Mutillid
Guides
Acrophotopsis
Acrophotopsis is a genus of velvet ants (family Mutillidae) established by Schuster in 1958. Velvet ants are solitary wasps characterized by dense, velvety hair and aposematic coloration. Females are wingless and often mistaken for ants, while males possess wings. The genus is poorly documented with minimal observational records.
Dasymutilla angulata
Dasymutilla angulata is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae. Like all mutillids, females are wingless while males possess wings. The species belongs to a genus characterized by aposematic coloration advertising their potent defensive sting. As with other Dasymutilla species, D. angulata likely develops as an external parasitoid of ground-nesting wasps or bees, though specific host records for this species are not documented in available sources.
Dasymutilla arenivaga
Desert Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla arenivaga is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, first described by Mickel in 1928. Like all mutillids, it is a solitary wasp with wingless females and winged males, exhibiting the pronounced sexual dimorphism characteristic of this group. The species inhabits arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Dasymutilla asopus
Dasymutilla asopus is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae. Like all mutillids, females are wingless while males possess wings. The species exhibits the bright aposematic coloration typical of the genus, warning predators of its potent sting. As a parasitoid wasp, females seek out ground-nesting hosts to deposit their eggs. The species occurs across western North America, with confirmed observations from multiple states and provinces.
Dasymutilla creon
Dasymutilla creon is a species of velvet ant, a group of solitary parasitoid wasps in the family Mutillidae. Like all mutillids, females are wingless while males possess wings. The species occurs in the south-central and eastern United States, with documented records from Kansas to Texas and eastward to North Carolina. As with other Dasymutilla species, females are capable of delivering a painful sting and exhibit the family's characteristic aposematic coloration.
Dasymutilla waco
Dasymutilla waco is a species of velvet ant (family Mutillidae), a group of solitary parasitoid wasps in which females are wingless and males are winged. The species was described by Blake in 1871 and belongs to the large genus Dasymutilla, which contains many brightly colored species known for their powerful sting. Like other velvet ants, females are active ground-dwellers that seek out host nests to parasitize. The species epithet "waco" refers to Waco, Texas, suggesting a type locality or association with that region.
Dasymutillini
velvet ants
Dasymutillini is a tribe of velvet ants (Mutillidae) characterized by dense, velvety pubescence and aposematic coloration. Members are solitary wasps with wingless females and winged males. The tribe includes the genus Dasymutilla, which contains numerous species across the Americas. Females are known for their extremely painful stings, among the most intense of any insect.
Ephuta spinifera
Ephuta spinifera is a species of velvet ant (family Mutillidae), a group of solitary wasps known for their dense, velvety pubescence and aposematic coloration. Like other mutillids, females are wingless and often mistaken for ants, while males are winged. The genus Ephuta is part of the diverse North American velvet ant fauna, though specific biological details for E. spinifera remain poorly documented in published literature.
Myrmilloides grandiceps
Myrmilloides grandiceps is a species of velvet ant (family Mutillidae) in the order Hymenoptera. Originally described as Mufilla grandiceps by Blake in 1872, it was later transferred to the genus Myrmilloides. The species epithet 'grandiceps' refers to the notably large head characteristic of this species. As with other mutillids, females are wingless and ant-like in appearance, while males possess wings. The genus Myrmilloides is part of the diverse velvet ant fauna of the New World.
Odontophotopsis melicausa
A species of velvet ant in the genus Odontophotopsis, first described by Blake in 1871. The genus is characterized by distinctive dental modifications on the mandibles. Like other mutillids, this species exhibits sexual dimorphism with wingless females and winged males.
Pseudomethoca contumax
Pseudomethoca contumax is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae. Like all mutillids, the wingless females are covered in dense, often brightly colored setae, while males possess wings. The species is distributed across the western and central United States and northern Mexico. Members of this genus are known for their rapid, erratic movement patterns and are frequently suggested as potential models for mimetic species in other insect families.
Pseudomethoca simillima
Pseudomethoca simillima is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, a group of solitary wasps in which females are wingless and often brightly colored with aposematic coloration. The species has been proposed as a potential model for Müllerian or Batesian mimicry by the checkered beetle Enoclerus ichneumoneus (family Cleridae), which shares a similar orange-and-black banded color pattern. Females are reportedly fast-moving and difficult to photograph, exhibiting urgent, zigzagging locomotion on sandy substrates. The species appears to be relatively uncommon in at least parts of its range compared to its suggested mimic.
Pseudomethoca toumeyi
Pseudomethoca toumeyi is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, order Hymenoptera. The genus Pseudomethoca is part of a diverse group of solitary wasps in which females are wingless and often exhibit aposematic coloration. Like other mutillids, this species likely possesses a powerful sting used for defense. The species is documented from a limited number of observations, with 18 records currently available.
Sphaeropthalma pluto
Sphaeropthalma pluto is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, first described by Fox in 1899. Velvet ants are actually solitary wasps, with wingless females that resemble ants in appearance. The species is part of a diverse genus containing multiple described species, several of which have been documented in museum collections. As with other mutillids, females are likely parasitoids of other insects, though specific host records for this species remain limited.
Timulla
velvet ants
Timulla is a genus of velvet ants (family Mutillidae) comprising nearly 200 described species. These solitary wasps exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism: females are wingless and often brightly colored with dense velvety pubescence, while males are winged. The genus occurs across the Americas and has been documented as a parasitoid of solitary bees and other ground-nesting insects. Some Timulla species serve as models for Müllerian or Batesian mimicry complexes, notably with ground spiders in the genus Sergiolus.