Dasymutilla arachnoides is a species of velvet ant, which is actually a type of wasp in the family Mutillidae. Velvet ants are known for their fuzzy, ant-like appearance and their potent sting, especially in females, which lack wings. They are solitary wasps, meaning they do not form colonies like social wasps or ants. Females lay eggs in the nests of other wasps and bees. When the larvae hatch, they consume the host’s larvae.