Velvet-ant
Guides
Timulla euterpe
Timulla euterpe is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, a group of wingless wasps known for their potent sting and aposematic coloration. Like other mutillids, females are wingless while males possess wings. The genus Timulla is frequently mimicked by spiders in the genus Sergiolus, which share similar habitats in sun-dappled forest floors. T. euterpe is part of a mimicry complex involving multiple Timulla species that resemble each other and their spider mimics.
Timulla ferrugata
velvet ant
Timulla ferrugata is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, found in the southeastern United States. Females are wingless and wasp-like in appearance, while males possess wings. The species is known for its aposematic orange and brown coloration. Despite their common name, velvet ants are actually solitary wasps, not ants.
Timulla floridensis
Timulla floridensis is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae. The species was proposed in a 1980 Ph.D. dissertation by Sigurd Leopold Szerlip but remains officially undescribed and nomenclaturally invalid because the dissertation was never formally published. As a member of the genus Timulla, it is a wingless female wasp (males have wings) with a potent sting. The species is associated with Florida, where it frequents sun-dappled patches on the floor of deciduous forests.
Timulla grotei
Timulla grotei is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae. Like other members of this genus, females are wingless and wasp-like in appearance, while males possess wings. The genus Timulla is known for species that are frequently mimicked by spiders in the genus Sergiolus, which share similar bold coloration patterns. This particular species occurs in North America and is one of numerous Timulla species documented in the region.
Timulla hollensis
Timulla hollensis is a species of wingless wasp in the family Mutillidae, commonly known as velvet ants. The species is part of a genus noted for aposematic coloration and a potent sting. Males are winged while females are wingless and ant-like in appearance. The species has been documented in the eastern United States, with observations spanning multiple states.
Timulla leona
Timulla leona is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, a group of wingless female wasps known for their potent sting and striking coloration. The genus Timulla is frequently mimicked by ground spiders in the genus Sergiolus, which share similar habitats in sun-dappled deciduous forest floors. Like other mutillids, T. leona likely exhibits sexual dimorphism with winged males and wingless, ant-like females.
Timulla navasota
Timulla navasota is a species of velvet ant (family Mutillidae), a group of wingless female wasps known for their potent sting and aposematic coloration. The species belongs to a genus frequently mimicked by ground spiders in the genus Sergiolus, which share similar bold red, black, and white patterning. Like other mutillids, females are wingless while males possess wings. The species has been documented in North America with 134 iNaturalist observations.
Timulla oajaca
Timulla oajaca is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, a group of wingless wasps known for their potent sting and aposematic coloration. The genus Timulla is frequently cited as a model for Müllerian mimicry complexes in North America, with spiders in the genus Sergiolus (Gnaphosidae) among their documented visual mimics. Like all mutillids, females are wingless while males possess wings. The species name refers to Oaxaca, Mexico, suggesting a geographic association with this region.
Timulla ocellaria
Timulla ocellaria is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae. Velvet ants are actually wingless female wasps, not true ants, and are known for their potent sting. The genus Timulla is frequently imitated by spiders in the genus Sergiolus as a form of protective mimicry.
Timulla subhyalina
Timulla subhyalina is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae, a group of wingless female wasps known for potent stings and aposematic coloration. The species is part of a genus frequently involved in mimicry complexes with spiders and other insects. Like other mutillids, females are wingless and ant-like in appearance, while males possess wings. The species has been documented in North America with limited observational records.
Timulla suspensa
Timulla suspensa is a species of wingless wasp in the family Mutillidae, commonly known as velvet ants. Females are wingless and ant-like in appearance, while males possess wings. The species is part of a genus that includes species known for their potent sting and aposematic coloration, often featuring red and black patterning that serves as warning coloration to predators.
Timulla vagans
velvet ant
Timulla vagans is a species of velvet ant (family Mutillidae) distributed across North America including the United States, Mexico, and Canada. As with all velvet ants, females are wingless and wasp-like in appearance, while males possess wings. The species exhibits the characteristic dense, velvety pubescence that gives the family its common name.