? Mutillidae
Dasymutilla occidentalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Suborder: Apocrita Superfamily: Vespoidea Family: Mutillidae
Subfamilies
Mutillinae Myrmillinae Myrmosinae Pseudophotopsidinae Rhopalomutillinae Sphaeropthalminae Ticoplinae Female Velvet Ant Image copyleft: Image taken by me, released under GFDL Pollinator 13:22, Sep 23, 2004 (UTC) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Arthropods (phylum Arthropoda) (from Greek ἀρθρον, meaning joint and πούς/ποδός, meaning foot) are the largest phylum of animals and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Many families, see article Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of Insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ... Superfamilies Apoidea Ceraphronoidea Chalcidoidea Chrysidoidea Cynipoidea Evanioidea Ichneumonoidea Megalyroidea Proctotrupoidea Sphecoidea Stephanoidea Triganalyoidea Vespoidea Many families, see article Apocrita is a suborder of insects in the order Hymenoptera. ... Vespoidea is a Superfamily of Order Hymenoptera of Class Insecta, although other taxonomic schemes may vary in this categorization. ...

Mutillidae or velvet ants, also known as cow killers, are not actually ants but a type of wasp. They get their name from their hair, which ranges from red and black to completely white, or may be silvery or golden. Their integument is very tough and roughly textured, providing protection against the stings of the wasps and bees whose nests they invade. As in other related families in the Vespoidea, the males have wings, but females are completely wingless. They exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism- the males and females are so different in appearance that it is, in fact, almost impossible to associate the two sexes of any given species, unless they are actually captured in the act of mating. In a few species, the male is so much larger than the female that he carries her aloft while mating (also seen in the related family Tiphiidae). Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects in the animal kingdom. ... Suborder Symphyta Apocrita See text for families. ... An integument is an outer protective covering such as the feathers or skin of an animal or rind or shell. ... Families Andrenidae Apidae Colletidae Halictidae Megachilidae Melittidae Stenotritidae Bee collecting pollen Bees (a lineage within the superfamily Apoidea) are flying insects, closely related to wasps and ants. ... Vespoidea is a Superfamily of Order Hymenoptera of Class Insecta, although other taxonomic schemes may vary in this categorization. ... Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in form between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ... Genera Diamma Myzinum Tiphia (etc. ...

They are known for their extremely painful sting, the venom of which was jokingly stated to be powerful enough to kill a cow, hence the nickname "cow killers." As with all Hymenoptera, only the females sting, and like all other wasps and bee (except honeybees), they can sting multiple times. If handled, they also have a structure called a stridulitrum on the metasoma which they use to produce a squeaking, chirping sound to warn would-be predators. COW is an acronym for a number of things: Can of worms The COW programming language, an esoteric programming language. ... Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Many families, see article Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of Insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ... Species A. mellifera— western honeybee A. cerana— eastern honeybee Honeybees are a subset of bees which fall into the Order Hymenoptera and Suborder Apocrita. ... Stridulation is the production of sounds by rubbing two parts of the body together; this mechanism is best known in crickets, grasshoppers, and cicadas. ... Scorpion anatomy: 1 = Prosoma; 2 = Mesosoma; 3 = Metasoma The metasoma is clearly visible on this ant: it is the posterior section, including the petiole The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma...

The family can be recognized best in the female; they are the only wingless female wasps that have hair-lined grooves on the side of the metasoma (called "felt lines") and in which the segments of the mesosoma are all fused dorsally. Only one other vespoid family (Bradynobaenidae) has felt lines, but the females have a distinct pronotum and an elongated ant-like petiole. The earliest-known velvet ants are believed to be specimens from the Dominican Republic preserved in amber for some 25 to 40 million years. Scorpion anatomy: 1 = Prosoma; 2 = Mesosoma; 3 = Metasoma The metasoma is clearly visible on this ant: it is the posterior section, including the petiole The metasoma is the posterior part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma... Scorpion anatomy: 1 = Prosoma; 2 = Mesosoma; 3 = Metasoma The mesosoma is clearly visible on this ant: it is the midlle section, in between the head and the petiole The mesosoma is the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other... The pronotum is the dorsal plate of the prothorax in insects ... The petiole of this ant consists of two segments In entomology, the term petiole is most commonly used to refer to the constricted first (and sometimes second) metasomal segment of members of the Hymenopteran suborder Apocrita; it may be used to refer to other insects with similar body shapes, where... Amber pendants. ...

Reproduction and life cycle

The male wasp flies around, searching for females. After mating, the female seeks out an insect's (typically bee's or wasp's) nest. Upon finding a suitable host, she lays her eggs near the larvae or pupae. The mutillid larva develops as an idiobiont ectoparasitoid, eventually killing and eating its immobile host. A few European species have been known to invade and raid beehives. SEM image of endoparasitoid ciliates of the genus Collinia, which can cause mass mortality in affected krill populations. ... SEM image of endoparasitoid ciliates of the genus Collinia, which can cause mass mortality in affected krill populations. ... World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ...

Diet

Mature mutillids feed upon flower nectar.

Range

Mutillids occur worldwide, with a total of some 5000 species, mostly in the tropics. They are especially common in desert and sandy areas, with most of the over 400 North American species found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and adjacent parts of Mexico; the same regions where their hosts, ground-nesting bees and wasps are most diverse. Many species are nocturnal, avoiding the searing heat of their desert environment. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Official language(s) See: Languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 268,581 sq mi (695,622 km²)  - Width 660 miles (1,065 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq. ... Official language(s) None Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  Ranked 6th  - Total 113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... A nocturnal animal is one that sleeps during the day and is active at night - the opposite of the human (diurnal) schedule. ...

References

• Lorus J. Milne, National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders (Audubon Society Field Guide) (Turtleback)(1980) Knopf. ISBN 0394507630.