Velvet Ant (2)

For more detail view "Larger"

Common Name: Red velvet ant or "cow killer" Scientific Name:

Dasymutilla occidentalis (Linnaeus) Order: Hymenoptera Description:

These insects are wasps, not ants. Females are wingless and covered

with dense hair, superficially resembling ants. The red velvet-ant is the

largest velvet-ant species, reaching about 3/4 inch in length. They are

black overall with patches of dense orange-red hair on the thorax and

abdomen. Males are similar but have wings and can not sting.

Comments welcome. thanks

But... is this critter REAL? It is simply beautiful. She looks like a "peluche", a puppet. But a beautiful puppet!

 

Great capture.

 

Ciao, Raffaella

Yes she is real. My son found it and we looked it up online because I had never seen one before. I was able to get about 40 photos of her before we let her go.

Splendid, superb or just fantastic portrait of this very beautiful but a bit nasty creature.

Beautiful and well done! Everything that a macro has to have it has!

 

PDE