Dasymutilla bioculata is a species of velvet ant found in south-central North America, between roughly between the southern border of South Dakota and the northern border of Zacatecas.[1] The specific name comes from the "two orange spots" on the second terga in males.[1]: 67 Velvet ants are actually a type of parasitic wasp; Dasymutilla bioculata females lays their eggs inside the cocoons of other wasps.[2] Males of this species are very difficult to visually distinguish from Dasymutilla quadriguttata and Dasymutilla vesta males.[3] This species has 21 binonimal synonyms.[3]
| Dasymutilla bioculata | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Mutillidae |
| Genus: | Dasymutilla |
| Species: | D. bioculata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dasymutilla bioculata Cresson, 1865
| |
References
edit- ^ a b Williams, Kevin; Pan, Aaron D.; Wilson, Joseph S. (2024). Velvet Ants of North America. Princeton Field Guides. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. doi:10.1515/9780691253763. ISBN 978-0-691-25376-3. LCCN 2023007206. OCLC 1376195396.
- ^ Smith, Lloyd Mason (1941-09-12). "Hammada, from the Director of the Desert Museum - Guest column: 'Velvet Ants' by Prof. Clarence E. Mickel". The Desert Sun. Vol. XV, no. 7. Palm Springs, California. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-08-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Species Dasymutilla bioculata". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
 | This Hymenoptera-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |