Dasymutilla occidentalis

Dasymutilla occidentalis
Female
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Mutillidae
Genus: Dasymutilla
Species:
D. occidentalis
Binomial name
Dasymutilla occidentalis
Synonyms[1]

Mutilla occidentalis Linnaeus, 1758

Dasymutilla occidentalis (red velvet ant, eastern velvet ant, cow ant or cow killer)[2][3][4] is a species of parasitoid wasp that ranges from Connecticut to Kansas in the north and Florida to Texas in the south. Adults are mostly seen in the summer months.[5]

The eastern velvet ant is the largest of the velvet ant species in the eastern United States, attaining an approximate length of 0.75 in (1.9 cm). Adults display aposematic coloration, consisting of black overall coloring with an orange-red pattern on the dorsal surface of the thorax and abdomen.

  1. ^ "Dasymutilla occidentalis (Linnaeus)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Species Dasymutilla occidentalis". Bugguide. Iowa State University. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  3. ^ "Red Velvet Ant or "Cow Killer"". Texas AgriLife Extension Service: A Field Guide To Common Texas Insects. Texas A&M University. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  4. ^ "Red velvet ant; cow killer". Arthropod Museum. University of Arkansas: Division of Agriculture. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  5. ^ Smith, Caleb. "Dasymutilla occidentalis". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2024-04-20.