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Wasps of Zihuatanejo

ORDER HYMENOPTERA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)​

-Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

-Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

-Spider Wasps, Velvet Ants, and Allies (Superfamily Pompiloidea)

-Velvet Ants (Family Mutillidae)

-Subfamily Mutillinae

-Tribe Dasymutillini

-Genus Dasymutilla

-Dasymutilla arachnoides


Velvet ants are actually not ants at all, but rather a type of wasp belonging to the family Mutillidae. The females are wingless and covered in dense, velvety hairs, often in striking colors like red, orange, or black, which is where their common name comes from. Their bright colours serve as a warning to predators, as velvet ants can deliver a very painful sting.

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Dasymutilla arachnoides

Description

• Dasymutilla arachnoides is a species of velvet ant in the family Mutillidae. Despite their name, velvet ants are wasps, not ants. Females are wingless and often densely covered in coarse hairs, while males are winged. Velvet ants have a tough exoskeleton and a defensive sting; their vivid colour patterns can warn predators to keep their distance.

Range

• Dasymutilla arachnoides is found in Mexico and Central America, with its known range extending south to Honduras. It is native to Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.

Habitat

• This species is associated with warm terrestrial environments, including dry forest, scrubland, woodland edges, and open areas with loose soil. Females move across the ground while searching for suitable host nests.

Diet

• Adults may feed on nectar and other sugary plant secretions. The larvae develop as parasitoids in the nests of other insects, particularly solitary wasps and bees, consuming host offspring or stored provisions.

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