Hello! Do you remember that cute ANT I showed you yesterday?

Image by @ruth-girl

Plot twist: It is NOT an ant!

Hehe! You didn't see that coming, did you?

So, yesterday @trumpman saw my shots and did some googling (he is an expert in digging up info) and discovered that my little visitor was nothing more than a wingless parasitoid wasp called Mutilla quinquemaculata! [5] 

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Thank you @trumpman!

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Velvet Ants!

These solitary wasps come under the fancy name Mutillidae, but are mostly known as velvet ants and guess why! [1]

Because they are a lot hairier than ants. Their bodies look like that of an ant's, only they don't have that "hump" joining their thorax with their abdomen and their antennae are not "bent". Bright colors are one of their main characteristics and they are signals for potential predators to stay away (that was what actually put me off and didn't try to touch that little miss in the photo above). Their bodies are also extremely tough, meaning they are safely shielded against predators and they can go around and enter other insects' nests with quite the audacity! [1, 2]

Males can fly, but females can STING!

Whereas male velvet ants look like the females of their species, they are equipped with a set of black wings that allows them to get away any time things get rough or a danger is approaching. Females on the other hand, have no way of lifting off but they are not as vulnerable as you may think. If they feel threatened, they are capable of inflicting extremely painful stings through an organ in their abdomen called an ovipositor;which is basically an organ for laying eggs. The female's venom is only mildly toxic, but the pain it can cause is very very strong. [1, 2, 3]

A male Dasymutilla occidentalis - Source: commons.wikimedia.org - Author: Andy - License: CC BY-SA 2.0

There is a species of velvet ants, the Dasymutilla occidentalis that comes under the nickname "Cow Killer" but they are not what their name suggests, this is more like an exaggeration for the pain their bite can cause. Velvet ants are not toxic enough to kill a human, but this does not eliminate the chances of an allergic reaction to their bite. [1, 2, 3, 6]

A female Dasymutilla occidentalis - Source: commons.wikimedia.org - Author: Judy Gallagher - License: CC BY 2.0

Do you remember this crazy guy from one of @trumpman's posts?

Males PSEUDO-STING... with their penis!

Males can also try to fool predators by trying to sting them using their pointy genitalia parts. This tactic is nothing more than a decoy in order to scare the predator off and let go off the male wasp. (Hey, you grabbed me? Here, have a penis-sting!) [2]

They are too tough to become lunch!

These insects are really hard to mess with and they don't seem to have any regular predators. [2]

But they do eat lunch!

Adult velvet ants feed on nectar, but there is a species Mutilla europaea that invades paper wasps colonies and guess what... they eat the saliva of their larvae (which has been proven to be very nutritious). The velvet ants excrete a chemical that lets them go unobserved by the wasps and easily sneak into their nest. [1, 2] 

Their youngs feed on other insects' eggs.

Females invade sealed underground nests of solitary wasps or bees and lay their eggs there. They lay one egg for every poor larva they find. Once hatched, the velvet ant larvae will munch on their "landlord's" descendants and leave when they are fully grown adults. Certain species may even turn against beetles and flies. [1, 2, 3, 5]

They talk!

Ok, not exactly, but velvet ants can produce squeaking sounds once disturbed or threatened. They do it by using their hair and abdomen and making specific movements with it. [1, 2]

Listen!

How cool was yesterday's find?

Ok, after reading a few articles on them I must admit, they are remarkable creatures! They have the nerve to get what they want from others, they have developed great defense mechanisms and they seem tackle life pretty good! 

Image by @ruth-girl

And, guys, take a walk around your garden. Pay attention to the little community that lives hidden around your plants. You never know what awesome creatures you may find. Just for the sake of your safety, do not touch anything that is not proven to be harmless! 

PS: I suggest you go through the second referenced article. It is really well-written and has some facts about those cuties that I left out today. 

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References

[1] wikipedia.org
[2] bbc.com
[3] entomology.ca.uky.edu
[4] www4.ncsu.edu
[5] naturamalta.com
[6] healthfully.com

Thank you so much for your time!

Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!