Red Velvet Ant: Difference between revisions
| Line 76: | Line 76: | ||
== Behavior and Life Cycle == | == Behavior and Life Cycle == | ||
[[File:Cow-killer.jpg | thumb|right | [https://arthropod.uark.edu/red-velvet-ant-cow-killer/ "Cow Killer" Red Velvet Ant]]] | [[File:Cow-killer.jpg | thumb|right | [https://arthropod.uark.edu/red-velvet-ant-cow-killer/ "Cow Killer" Red Velvet Ant]]] | ||
Red Velvet Ants are solitary and do not form eusocial hives like hornets | Red Velvet Ants are solitary and do not form eusocial hives like hornets. They are diurnal, resting at night, and are generally non-aggressive, avoiding interaction with other species outside of their reproductive cycle. Adults feed on nectar from plants, while their young are strictly parasitic. The only time Red Velvet Ants interact with one another is to mate <ref name= "Smith">Smith, Caleb. “Dasymutilla Occidentalis.” Animal [[Diversity]] Web. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dasymutilla_occidentalis/.</ref>. | ||
Reproduction begins in the warmer months of the year. Females are often seen scurrying across open fields, while males fly overhead in search of mates. Males locate females using pheromones or by hearing their characteristic squeaking sounds. Once a male finds a female, he picks her up with his mandibles and flies away. Mating typically occurs in a shaded area, away from other competing males. After mating, the female searches for suitable host nests in which to lay her eggs. | |||
Red Velvet Ants parasitize a variety of ground-nesting bees and wasps. Their most common hosts include wasps from the Crabronidae family, such as Eastern Cicada Killers and Horse Guard Wasps. Once a suitable nest is found, the female lays a single egg in one of the nest’s chambers and then departs. It is believed that Red Velvet Ants mate only once in their lifetime <ref name= "Smith">Smith, Caleb. “Dasymutilla Occidentalis.” Animal [[Diversity]] Web. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dasymutilla_occidentalis/.</ref>. | |||
Approximately three days after being laid, the egg hatches. The Red Velvet Ant larva then begins feeding on the host's larva or pupa. After consuming the host, it enters its own pupal stage, which typically lasts around 20 days. However, if environmental temperatures are too low, the pupa will remain in the nest chamber to overwinter. When ambient temperatures rise, the adult emerges and begins searching for mates. Most individuals emerge in July or August, though those that overwinter may emerge earlier in the spring<ref name= "Smith">Smith, Caleb. “Dasymutilla Occidentalis.” Animal [[Diversity]] Web. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dasymutilla_occidentalis/.</ref>. | |||
== Defenses == | == Defenses == | ||
Revision as of 01:16, 2 May 2025
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Mutillidae |
| Genus: | Dasymutilla |
| Species: | Dasymutilla occidentalis |
Description
Red Velvet Ants belong to the Mutillidae family, which includes over 7,000 different species of velvet ants. Despite their name and appearance, Red Velvet Ants are actually a species of wasp. Like most wasps, they are solitary and do not form large hives. These wasps get their name from the short, red and black velvety hairs covering their bodies[1]. In addition to their aposematic coloration, females can produce a squeaking sound to deter predators. Red Velvet Ants are the largest of the velvet ant species, measuring about ¾ of an inch in length. Females are wingless, while males have dark, translucent wings. The females’ wingless appearance and their ground-dwelling behavior are why these insects are often mistaken for ants. Females also possess a powerful stinger, while males do not. These wasps are commonly known as “cow killers” due to the strength and pain of their sting.
Habitat and Range
Red Velvet Ants are native to North America, with their primary range in the eastern United States. In the north, they are found from Connecticut to Missouri, while in the south, their range extends from Florida to Texas[2]. They are often found in open, dry, sandy areas that receive a lot of sunlight[3][4]. Red Velvet Ants are parasitic and rely on host species for reproduction. Because of this, they tend to be found in areas where ground-nesting hymenoptera are found[4].
Behavior and Life Cycle
Red Velvet Ants are solitary and do not form eusocial hives like hornets. They are diurnal, resting at night, and are generally non-aggressive, avoiding interaction with other species outside of their reproductive cycle. Adults feed on nectar from plants, while their young are strictly parasitic. The only time Red Velvet Ants interact with one another is to mate [5].
Reproduction begins in the warmer months of the year. Females are often seen scurrying across open fields, while males fly overhead in search of mates. Males locate females using pheromones or by hearing their characteristic squeaking sounds. Once a male finds a female, he picks her up with his mandibles and flies away. Mating typically occurs in a shaded area, away from other competing males. After mating, the female searches for suitable host nests in which to lay her eggs. Red Velvet Ants parasitize a variety of ground-nesting bees and wasps. Their most common hosts include wasps from the Crabronidae family, such as Eastern Cicada Killers and Horse Guard Wasps. Once a suitable nest is found, the female lays a single egg in one of the nest’s chambers and then departs. It is believed that Red Velvet Ants mate only once in their lifetime [5].
Approximately three days after being laid, the egg hatches. The Red Velvet Ant larva then begins feeding on the host's larva or pupa. After consuming the host, it enters its own pupal stage, which typically lasts around 20 days. However, if environmental temperatures are too low, the pupa will remain in the nest chamber to overwinter. When ambient temperatures rise, the adult emerges and begins searching for mates. Most individuals emerge in July or August, though those that overwinter may emerge earlier in the spring[5].
Defenses
The Red Velvet Ant has a number of defenses in order to protect itself. Its most apparent defense is its aposematic coloration. Its bright red hairs contrasted with the dark black makes the Red Velvet ant a striking insect to look at. Their aposematic coloration is even more significant for the Red velvet Ant when looking at all the species of North American Multillidae (Velvet Ants). These Velvet Ants have complex Mullerian mimicry rings seen in the natural world. Mullerian mimicry refers to when two well-defended species have come to mimic each other's honest warning signals. The Velvet Ants of North America can be divided into 8 unique rings of mimicry that are tied to their location[6]. Velvet Ants in the east such as the Red Velvet Ant have similar, fiery coloration. However, tropical Velvet Ants found in Central America are black and yellow, similar to other wasps and bees. Desert Velvet Ants are more white in appearance, and the populations in texas only have coloration on their thorax. When studying all 21 genera of Velvet Ant in North America, only 15 of the 351 species found did not fit into one of the eight mimicry ring[6]s. This system of mimicry helps each species in its own unique environment be seen as not an easy prey item.
Female Red Velvet Ants main defense method outside of coloration is to run away, and when cornered they will even begin to make noises[4]. Their last line of defense is their incredibly long ovipositor which can act as a stinger to inject venom. Velvet Ant venom is noted to be 25 times less toxic than a honeybee, but far more painful. The sting is non-life threatening, however the pain is very intense and can last for sometimes 30 minutes. They are unlikely to use their stinger unless provoked to do so. This is due to the stinger's main function as the Red Velvet Ants ovipositor, making it not worth the risk of using. Eusocial bees and wasps rely on a queen for reproduction, allowing for free use of their stingers and much higher forms of aggression suitable for their species. Red velvet Ants also have a remarkably tough and thick exoskeleton, making them quite sturdy as well.
References
[1] [7] [2] [4] [8] [3] [5] [9] [10] [11] [6]
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 “Arthropod Museum, Dept. of Entomology, University of Arkansas,” May 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120526173101/http://www.uark.edu/ua/arthmuse/cowkil.html.
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 iNaturalist. “Red Velvet Ant (GTM Research Reserve Arthropod Guide) · iNaturalist.” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.inaturalist.org/guide_taxa/278784.
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 “Red Velvet Ant or ‘Cow Killer,’” September 2, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110902230354/http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg344.html.
- ↑ Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Missouri Department of Conservation. “Velvet Ants.” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/velvet-ants.
- ↑ Jump up to: 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Smith, Caleb. “Dasymutilla Occidentalis.” Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dasymutilla_occidentalis/.
- ↑ Jump up to: 6.0 6.1 6.2 Wilson, Joseph S., Kevin A. Williams, Matthew L. Forister, Carol D. von Dohlen, and James P. Pitts. “Repeated Evolution in Overlapping Mimicry Rings among North American Velvet Ants.” Nature Communications 3, no. 1 (December 11, 2012): 1272. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2275.
- ↑ Field Guide to Common Texas Insects. “Red Velvet Ant or ‘Cow Killer.’” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/red-velvet-ant-or-cow-killer/.
- ↑ “Red Velvet Ant; Cow Killer | Arthropod Museum.” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://arthropod.uark.edu/red-velvet-ant-cow-killer/.
- ↑ “Species Dasymutilla Occidentalis - Common Eastern Velvet Ant.” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://bugguide.net/node/view/13126/data.
- ↑ “Velvet Ant.” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://entomology.ces.ncsu.edu/biological-control-information-center/beneficial-parasitoids/velvet-ant/.
- ↑ “Velvet Ants: Flamboyant and Fuzzy with Extreme PPE | Natural History Museum.” Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/velvet-ants-flamboyant-and-fuzzy-with-extreme-ppe.html.