Thistle Down Velvet Ant
Other Name(s): Grey Velvet Ant
Characteristics: Although it looks and walks like an ant, this hairy little creature is a wasp!
This particular species mimics the seeds of the creosote bush, blending in with the other debris around it.
Larvae feed on the larvae of the Sand Wasp. Females will drop their eggs in the nest of the Sand Wasp.
Adults drink nectar. Males can be seen on flowers and they have wings. Females are wingless, but have painful stings.
General Adult Size (Length):
13mm to 16mm
(0.51in to 0.63in)
Identifying Colors: white; black; gray
North American reach includes (may not be limited to): Utah, California, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, and parts of Mexico
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Common Name: Thistle Down Velvet Ant
Scientific Name: (Dasymutilla gloriosa)
 Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Mutillidae
Genus: Dasymutilla
Species: gloriosa
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