Pacific Velvet Ant
Dasymutilla aureola
This record describes Dasymutilla aureola (species). Recorded family: Mutillidae. Recorded order: Hymenoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Males (winged): Head as wide as mesosoma; scarlet colored vestiture on dorsum of head, thorax, and abdominal tergites 3-6; median pit filled with setae is present on 2nd abdominal sternite (last character shared with some other species). Females (wingless): Covered with red vestiture; thorax as broad as long, and the head is broader than the thorax. (characters based on Hurd, 1951, and information provided by Kevin Williams.)
Wikipedia reference for Dasymutilla aureola: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasymutilla_aureola.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
- Superfamily
- Pompiloidea
- Family
- Mutillidae (Velvet Ants)
- Subfamily
- Sphaeropthalminae
- Tribe
- Dasymutillini
- Genus
- Dasymutilla
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
map Baja California, Mexico USA: CA,OR. Canada: British Columbia (Hurd, 1951; see ref. below)
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Dasymutilla aureola (Cresson 1865)
About Flies: the wider group
Order-level background for Hymenoptera, the group containing Dasymutilla aureola. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Hymenoptera includes over 150,000 described species of ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies. Earth harbors approximately 20 quadrillion (20×10^15) ants, with a combined biomass of ~12 megatons of dry carbon - exceeding the combined biomass of all wild birds and mammals (PNAS, 2022).
Ecological role of the group
About 35% of the world's food crops depend on animal pollinators. The chocolate industry, valued at over $100 billion, depends on pollinating flies and midges. Ants are the dominant soil engineers in most terrestrial ecosystems, turning more soil than earthworms in many habitats.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Pollinators contribute $235-577 billion worth of annual global food production (FAO). In the U.S., bee pollination alone benefits crops valued at $18 billion annually, and honey bees are responsible for $5.4 billion in agricultural productivity. Between April 2023-2024, 55.1% of managed honey bee colonies were lost. The U.S. bee population dropped from 5 million to 2.5 million.
Recorded sources for this group: FAO, USDA, EPA, PNAS (2022), US Fish & Wildlife Service. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Pacific Velvet Ant (3)
Photo credits: Contributed by Cotinis; Additional contributions by v belov | Contributed by Cotinis; Additional contributions by v belov , PaleoJon
Frequently Asked Questions About Pacific Velvet Ant
What is Pacific Velvet Ant?
Pacific Velvet Ant (Dasymutilla aureola) is a species in the family Mutillidae, within the order Hymenoptera.
How do you identify Pacific Velvet Ant?
Males (winged): Head as wide as mesosoma; scarlet colored vestiture on dorsum of head, thorax, and abdominal tergites 3-6; median pit filled with setae is present on 2nd abdominal sternite (last character shared with some other species). Females (wingless): Covered with red vestiture; thorax as broad as long, and the head is broader than the thorax. (characters based on Hurd, 1951, and information provided by Kevin Williams.)
Where is Pacific Velvet Ant found?
Range: map Baja California, Mexico USA: CA,OR. Canada: British Columbia (Hurd, 1951; see ref. below)