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Family Mutillidae - Velvet Ants
- Wasps in this family are usually heavily sclerotised, hairy and with metallic
colours. Their eyes are round and prominent. Males are winged and look very different
from females. 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.
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- Females are sometimes found on sandy ground waiting for the males or
searching for host's nest. Male cane also be seen on low plants waiting for
the emerging of the females..
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- Currently most species found in Australia are placed in genus Ephutomorpha.
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- Velvet Ant
 - ? sp, 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.
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- 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. Please also visit this page above this
wasp.
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- Mutillidae Wasp
 - ? sp., male, body length 10mm
- Pictures taken in Ford Road Conservation Area on Jan 2009.
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- Black Velvet Ant
 - ? sp., male, body length 10mm
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- Velvet Ant with golden abdomen
 - ? sp. female
- Picture was taken on March 2008 in Mt Coot-tha.
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- 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.
- 3. What wasp is that? - An interactive identification guide to the Australasian families of Hymenoptera, 2007.
- 4. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
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[ Up ] [ FAMILY POMPILIDAE ] [ Family Mutillidae ] [ FAMILY TIPHIIDAE ] [ FAMILY SCOLIIDAE ] [ FAMILY VESPIDAE ] [ FAMILY SPHECIDAE/CRABRONIDAE ] [ Nesting Behaviour of Predatory Wasps ] [ Other Predatory Wasps ]
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