#velvetAnts
Cara... Vale muito a pena estar viva!

Hoje fui agraciada pela passagem dessa lindeza grandona!

Apesar do nome popular (formiga-feiticeira), trata-se de uma vespa da família Mutillidae

#bugs #wasps #velvetAnts
January 25, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Red Velvet ant (Dasymutilla occidentalis), a.k.a. cow killer ant, is actually a wasp. The female is wingless with very painful stings (no they don't kill cows). This a winged male which are stingless. #wasps #floridawildlife #photography #insects #wildlife #velvetants #cowkillerant #floridainsects
December 31, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Fascinating! Velvet ants aren’t ants, they’re wasps. Female Brazilian velvet ants (Traumatomutilla bifurca) have ultra-black patches, and preliminary findings suggest their black-and-white pattern may also aid camouflage in certain environments.

#UltraBlack
#VelvetAnts
#Hymenoptera
This Velvet Ant Provides New Insights Into Nature’s Ultrablack Secrets
New research has found an insect species with markings that are so black that they’re ‘superblack’ or ‘ultrablack’, absorbing nearly all visible and ultraviolet light.
www.forbes.com
January 30, 2025 at 8:11 AM