The Mutillidae are known as Velvet Ants but also as Cow killers. The females are wingless, making them superficially resembling ants; their hairiness explains why they are called Velvet Ants. Their very painful stings explains the other vernacular name. The larva are parasitoids of a wide range of hosts, including various bees, spider wasps and digger wasps. Source: Gauld, I. & B. Bolton, eds. 1988. The Hymenoptera, p. 233 - 234. |
Smicromyrme rufipes |
Authority | : | (Fabricius, 1787) |
Deutsch | : | Rote Sandspinnenameise |
Two males attempting to mate the same female; right photo, female. |