Provisional Checklist of Mutillidae
(Velvet Ants)
of Brackenridge Field Lab

Compiled by Allan W. Hook, Dept. of Zoology U.T. Austin (10 March 1988)
Determinations by Donald G. Manley, Extension Entomology, Clemson University

Parasitic wasps of the family Mutillidae are commonly referred to as velvet ants because of the appearance of the dense pile covering the body, or as cowkillers and mulekillers because of their painful sting. Females are entirely wingless, while males are normally fully winged, but are brachypterous or apterous in a few species. Males are commonly seen flying low over the ground in search of females, whereas females can be found searching areas containing ground nesting bees and wasps. Females will also climb vegetation in order to obtain nectar.

BFL supports a rich mutillid fauna with 27 species recorded thus far. Mutillid diversity is tied directly to the tremendous diversity of bees and wasps found at BFL. The stage of host attacked is restricted to the cocoon stage of wasps and bees which nest in the soil, in borings in wood, or which build mud or resin cells. Hosts are known for few of the North American species, and they are provided with this faunal list when available. New host records established at BFL are designated by an (*) following the host record. Also, this list includes a new species record for Texas. An additional list of 16 species, that are represented in the BFL Collection, but were collected at other localities is available on request. Some of this material was probably collected by William Morton Wheeler, and some was determined by Clarence E. Mickle in 1933 (where appropriate D. Manley has provided new names).

• 1. Timula leona (Blake)

• 2. Timula oajaca (Blake)

• 3. Ephuta sudatrix (Melander)

• 4. Ephuta sp.

• 5. Sphaeropthalma a. auripilis (Blake)

• 6. Sphaeropthalma sp.

• 7. Pseudomethoca brazoria (Blake

• 8. Pseudomethoca frigida (Smith)

• 9. Pseudomethoca gila (Blake)

• 10. Pseudomethoca ilione (Fox)

• 11. Pseudomethoca nudula Mickel

• 12. Pseudomethoca oceola (Blake)

• 13. Pseudomethoca propinqua (Cresson)

• 14. Pseudomethoca simillima (Smith)

• 15. Myrmilloides grandiceps (Blake)

• 16. Dasymutilla arcana (Mickel)

• 17. Dasymutilla birkmani (Melander)

• 18. Dasymutilla bollii (Fox)

• 19. Dasymutilla electra (Blake)

• 20. Dasymutilla klugii (Gray)

• 21. Dasymutilla meracula Mickle

• 22. Dasymutilla quadriguttata (Say)

• 23. Dasymutilla scaevola (Blake)

• 24. Dasymutilla texanella Mickel

• 25. Dasymutilla vesta vesta (Cresson)

• 26. Dasymutilla vesta errans Rohwer

• 27. Photopsis sp.

References

Brothers, D. J. 1972. Biology and immature stages of Pseudomethoca f. frigida, with notes on other species (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 50:1-38.

Brothers, D. J. 1975. Phylogeny and classification of the aculeate Hymenoptera, with special reference to Mutillidae. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 50:483-648

Brothers, D. J. 1978. Biology and immature stages of Myrmosula parvula (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). J. Kans. Ent. Soc. 51:698-710.

Brothers, D. J. 1984. Gregarious parasitoidism in Australian Mutillidae (Hymenoptera). Aust. ent. Mag. 11:8-10.

Ferguson, W. E. 1962. Biological characteristics of the mutillid subgenus Photopsis Blake and their systematic values. Univ. Calif. Publ. Ent. 27:1-91.

Gillaspy, J. E. and J. R. Lara. 1979. A new species of Dasymutilla from south Texas. Southwestern Ent. 4:235-237.

Hinton, H. E., D. F. Gibbs, and R. Silberglied. 1969. Stridulatory files as diffraction gratings in mutillid wasps. J. Insect Physiol., 15:549-552.

Krombein, K. V. 1979. Family Mutillidae, pp.1276-1314. In Krombein, K. V., P. D. Hurd, Jr., D. R. Smith, and B. D. Burks (eds.), Catalog of Hymenoptera in America north of Mexico. Vol. 2 Apocrita (Aculeata). Smithsonian Instit. Press, Washington, D.C.

Linsley, E. G., J. W. MacSwain and R. F. Smith. 1955. Observations on the mating habits of Dasymutilla formicalia Rohwer (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Can. Ent. 87:411-13.

Manley, D. G. 1984. Predation upon velvet ants of the genus Dasymutilla in California (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Pan-Pac. Ent. 60:219-226.

Manley, D. G., and S. Taber III. 1978. A mating aggregation of Dasymutilla foxi in southern Arizona (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Pan-Pac. Ent. 54:231-35.

Mickel, C. E. 1924. An analysis of a bimodal variation in size of the parasite Dasymutilla bioculata Cresson (Hymen.; Mutillidae). Ent. News 35:236-42.

Mickel, C. E. 1928. Biological and taxonomic investigations on the mutillid wasps. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. 143:1-351.

Mickel, C. E. 1937. The mutillid wasps of the genus Timulla which occur in North America north of Mexico. Entomol. Am. 17:1-119.

Mickel, C. E. 1970. Minn. Univ., Agr. Expt. Sta., Tech. Bull. 271:1-77 (annotated bibliography of mutillid world literature).

Rathmayer, W. 1978. Venoms of Sphecidae, Pompilidae, Mutilldae, and Bethylidae. Handb. Exper. Pharmacol. 48:661-690.

Schmidt, J. O. and M. S. Blum. 1977. Adaptations and responses of Dasymutilla occidentalis to predators. Ent. Exp. Appl. 21:99-111.

Schmidt, J. O., and S. L. Buchmann. 1986. Are mutillids scarce? (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Pan-Pac. Ent. 62:103-4.

Schmidt, J. O., and A. W. Hook. 1979. A record population of Pseudomethoca simillima (Smith) (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Fla. Ent. 62:152.

Spangler, H. G. and D. G. Manley. 1978. Sounds associated with the mating behavior of a mutillid wasp. Ann. Ent. Soc. Am. 71:389-392.