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Insect Identification > Description of the Red Velvet Ant

Details of the Red Velvet Ant

CATEGORY:
Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar

COMMON NAME:
"Red Velvet Ant"

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
(Dasymutilla magnifica)

TAXONOMY:
(View Orders)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
   Class:Insecta
    Order: Hymenoptera
     Family: Mutillidae
      Genus: Dasymutilla
       Species: magnifica

CHARACTERISTICS: Although they look like ants, Velvet ants are acutally hairy wasps! They scurry about the ground like ants and carry a painful sting.

Males can fly, but females are wingless. Adults drink nectar.

ADULT SIZE (Length, not including legs):
18mm to 21mm (0.71in to 0.83in) (Compare Size)

IDENTIFYING COLORS: black; red

Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico

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Picture of Red Velvet Ant

Courtesy of Erik G. from Sedona, AZ

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