| |
Family Mutillidae - Velvet Ants
Wasps in this family are usually heavily sclerotised and with metallic
colours. Males are winged and look very different with female. Females are
wingless and ant-like, but can be distinguished by their curled antenna and
hairy body. Larvae parasite on other wasp, bee or ant nest.
-
- Velvet Ant
-
- Ephutomorpha ferruginata, female, body length
12mm Male, body length 15mm
- Male and female of Velvet Ant look quite different. This winged male is black in
colour. The wingless female is velvet in colour with body coarsely punctated. In mid-summer Karawatha Forest on a sandy footpath. We saw
a female Velvet Ant
walking slowly with abdomen tip pointing upward. Then a winged black wasp
appeared and mated with the female Velvet Ant. More information can be found
in this page.
-
-
- Mutillidae Wasp
-
- Ephutomorpha sp., male, body length 20mm
- We took those photos in Mt Nebo rainforest during mid summer. It has the hairy legs and
body.
-
- Here we would like to thank Professor Denis Brothers
sending us email advised that this wasp is family Mutillidae (genus Ephutomorpha)
male.
-
-
- Reference:
- 1. Insects
of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 976.
- 2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus
& Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p295.
-
[ Up ] [ FAMILY POMPILIDAE ] [ Family Mutillidae ] [ FAMILY TIPHIIDAE ] [ FAMILY SCOLIIDAE ] [ FAMILY VESPIDAE ] [ FAMILY SPHECIDAE ] [ Other Predatory Wasps ]
|