Red Velvet AntDasymutilla occidentalis
Quick facts
- Rarity
- Common
- Active during
- Midday
- Found in
- Dusty Canyons
- Length
- 1 in
- Wingspan
- 0.75 in
From the field notes
Diet
As adults, these wanderers are vegetarians, sipping sweet nectar and water from desert wildflowers. But as grubs, they eat the larvae of ground-nesting bees.
Defense: Armor
They have evolved a thick, convex exoskeleton. This armor is so dense and slippery that it is nearly impossible to crush underfoot, designed to deflect the bites, stings, and jaws of desperate predators.
Defense: Cow Killer
The female has a stinger almost half the length of her abdomen, delivering a powerful sting that earned this species the nickname 'Cow Killer.' While the venom is not actually lethal to a cow, it ranks near the very top of the insect pain index.
Defense: Chirping
When distressed, it rapidly rubs segments of its abdomen together to produce a high-pitched squeaking or chirping sound (stridulation). It serves as a final audio warning before she resorts to using her stinger.
The Nursery
The female uses her tough armor to sneak into the underground burrows of cicada killers or bumblebees to lay her eggs. When her grub hatches, it slowly consumes the host alive before spinning its own cocoon.