kids encyclopedia robot

Image: Mutillidae-Kadavoor-2016-07-26-001

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Original image ‎(2,005 × 1,337 pixels, file size: 3.02 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Description: Mutillidae, Velvet ants, are a family of wasps (despite the names) whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name "velvet ant" refers to their dense pile of hair, which most often is bright scarlet or orange, but may also be black, white, silver, or gold. Velvet ants are loners with males generally flying low to the ground seeking the wandering females. In a few species, the male carries the smaller female aloft while mating as seen here. After mating, females will scurry about looking for wasp or bee pupal chambers. Once found, they will enter a nest and use their ovipositor to lay an egg on or near to the host. (ID: InsectIndia)
Author: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Attribution Required?: Yes

The following page links to this image:

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise.