6 replies to this topic

[skocko76]

Feel free to laugh at me for catching this, thinking it is a hairy ant haha 

I caught it yesterday, 31st July 2018., near a rocky beach in pine woods in Mediterranean basin, town of Split.

So, it was very quick and had excellent eyesight, knowing where I'm coming from, and burying itself in pine needles in rock cracks. Finally, it succumbed to my mammalian wit.

The solitary creature is 5-6mm long (1/5 inch) with red thorax and black head and gaster. The thorax is pretty bulky, leading me to believe I caught a queen. Upon closer inspection of photos, I am not sure it is an ant at all. But I know not of any wingless wasps...

Maybe it is an ant species after all?

P.S. the second photo is showing the underside of the creature. Sorry I couldn't take better photos.

Can anyone ID, or share an opinion?

 

 

[Cameron C. Thomas]

This looks like a velvet wasp (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Wingless females in this family often look like hairy queen ants, and you'll also see them referred to as velvet ants, cow killer ants, and other names. 

[gcsnelling]

Yes a velvet ant of some sort.

[skocko76]

Thanks everyone!

Yes, I googled around the Net, and recognized the general shape of head, thorax and gaster to velvet ants.

Sad, I hoped I had an ant queen. Better luck next time.

[Connectimyrmex]

This is actually a lucky find! I only find ant queens, never velvet ants

[skocko76]

Haha Connectimyrmex, I actually do have the worst of luck in finding queens 

It has been very dry for 3 months now, and I don't think many ants flew.

I actually did find 3 Crematogaster and 1 Messor queen, but they are all with wings and probably not fertilized.

Oh, the fate!

Edited by skocko76, August 17 2017 - 8:27 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

If you found winged queens quite a while after a flight, chances are that they are fertilized. Infertile ones normally try to repeatedly fly until they get eaten by birds.