Dasymutilla
| Dasymutilla | |
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,_Dasymutilla,_Albuquerque.JPG)
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| Dasymutilla sp. | |
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| Genus: | Dasymutilla Ashmead, (1899)
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| Species | |
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~200 species; see text | |
The genus Dasymutilla belongs to the Mutillidae family of wasps. The females of the genus are well known for their painful sting, which is where many gain their common name, Cow Killer. The female is wingless and often resemble large ants while the males still retain their wings. The larvae are external parasites to various types of hymenoptera. When disturbed, Dasymutilla makes a high-pitched squeaking sound identical to that of the Pogonomyrmex (Harvester ant).
Many species in the genus are Müllerian mimics of each other; together they form several mimicry rings in one of the largest known mimicry complexes. The effect is to warn off predators by shared aposematic coloration without requiring inexperienced predators to taste and be stung by members of each species separately.[1][2]
Selected Species
- D. alesia
- D. archboldi
- D. arenivaga
- D. asopus
- D. aureola
- D. bioculata
- D. californica
- D. calorata
- D. chattahoochei
- D. chiron
- D. chisos
- D. coccineohirta
- D. creon
- D. creusa
- D. dilucida
- D. foxi
- D. gibbosa
- D. gloriosa (Thistledown Velvet Ant)
- D. gorgon
- D. heliophila
- D. klugii
- D. lepeletierii
- D. magnifica (Red Velvet Ant)
- D. meracula
- D. monticola
- D. mutata
- D. nigricauda
- D. nigripes
- D. nitidula
- D. nocturna
- D. nogalensis
- D. occidentalis (Cow Killer)
- D. pyrrhus
- D. quadriguttata
- D. sackenii
- D. scaevola
- D. sicheliana
- D. thetis
- D. vesta
- D. vestita
References
- ^ Wilson, Joshua S.; Williams, Kevin A.; Forister, Matthew L.; von Dohlen, Carol D.; Pitts, James P. (2012). "Repeated evolution in overlapping mimicry rings among north American velvet ants". Nature Communications. 3: 1272. Bibcode:2012NatCo...3E1272W. doi:10.1038/ncomms2275.
- ^ Wilson, Joshua S.; Jahner, Joshua P.; Forister, Matthew L.; Sheehan, Erica S.; Williams, Kevin A.; Pitts, James P. "North American velvet ants form one of the world's largest known Müllerian mimicry complexes" (PDF). Current Biology. 25: R704–R7064. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.053.
- Evans, Arthur V. (2007). Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America. Sterling Publishing Co. p. 371. ISBN 978-1-4027-4153-1.
- "List of Dasymutilla". Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- "Genus Dasymutilla". Retrieved 2008-09-13.
- "San Diego Natural History Museum Dasymutilla sp". Retrieved 2008-09-13.
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