Hello! Do you remember that cute ANT I showed you yesterday?
Image by @ruth-girl
Plot twist: It is NOT an ant!
Hehe! You didn't see that coming, did you?
So, yesterday @trumpman saw my shots and did some googling (he is an expert in digging up info) and discovered that my little visitor was nothing more than a wingless parasitoid wasp called Mutilla quinquemaculata! [5]
Thank you @trumpman!
Velvet Ants!
These solitary wasps come under the fancy name Mutillidae, but are mostly known as velvet ants and guess why! [1]
Because they are a lot hairier than ants. Their bodies look like that of an ant's, only they don't have that "hump" joining their thorax with their abdomen and their antennae are not "bent". Bright colors are one of their main characteristics and they are signals for potential predators to stay away (that was what actually put me off and didn't try to touch that little miss in the photo above). Their bodies are also extremely tough, meaning they are safely shielded against predators and they can go around and enter other insects' nests with quite the audacity! [1, 2]
Males can fly, but females can STING!
Whereas male velvet ants look like the females of their species, they are equipped with a set of black wings that allows them to get away any time things get rough or a danger is approaching. Females on the other hand, have no way of lifting off but they are not as vulnerable as you may think. If they feel threatened, they are capable of inflicting extremely painful stings through an organ in their abdomen called an ovipositor;which is basically an organ for laying eggs. The female's venom is only mildly toxic, but the pain it can cause is very very strong. [1, 2, 3]
A male Dasymutilla occidentalis - Source: commons.wikimedia.org - Author: Andy - License: CC BY-SA 2.0
There is a species of velvet ants, the Dasymutilla occidentalis that comes under the nickname "Cow Killer" but they are not what their name suggests, this is more like an exaggeration for the pain their bite can cause. Velvet ants are not toxic enough to kill a human, but this does not eliminate the chances of an allergic reaction to their bite. [1, 2, 3, 6]
A female Dasymutilla occidentalis - Source: commons.wikimedia.org - Author: Judy Gallagher - License: CC BY 2.0
Do you remember this crazy guy from one of @trumpman's posts?
Males PSEUDO-STING... with their penis!
Males can also try to fool predators by trying to sting them using their pointy genitalia parts. This tactic is nothing more than a decoy in order to scare the predator off and let go off the male wasp. (Hey, you grabbed me? Here, have a penis-sting!) [2]
They are too tough to become lunch!
These insects are really hard to mess with and they don't seem to have any regular predators. [2]
But they do eat lunch!
Adult velvet ants feed on nectar, but there is a species Mutilla europaea that invades paper wasps colonies and guess what... they eat the saliva of their larvae (which has been proven to be very nutritious). The velvet ants excrete a chemical that lets them go unobserved by the wasps and easily sneak into their nest. [1, 2]
Their youngs feed on other insects' eggs.
Females invade sealed underground nests of solitary wasps or bees and lay their eggs there. They lay one egg for every poor larva they find. Once hatched, the velvet ant larvae will munch on their "landlord's" descendants and leave when they are fully grown adults. Certain species may even turn against beetles and flies. [1, 2, 3, 5]
They talk!
Ok, not exactly, but velvet ants can produce squeaking sounds once disturbed or threatened. They do it by using their hair and abdomen and making specific movements with it. [1, 2]
Listen!
How cool was yesterday's find?
Ok, after reading a few articles on them I must admit, they are remarkable creatures! They have the nerve to get what they want from others, they have developed great defense mechanisms and they seem tackle life pretty good!
Image by @ruth-girl
And, guys, take a walk around your garden. Pay attention to the little community that lives hidden around your plants. You never know what awesome creatures you may find. Just for the sake of your safety, do not touch anything that is not proven to be harmless!
PS: I suggest you go through the second referenced article. It is really well-written and has some facts about those cuties that I left out today.
References
[1] wikipedia.org
[2] bbc.com
[3] entomology.ca.uky.edu
[4] www4.ncsu.edu
[5] naturamalta.com
[6] healthfully.com
Thank you so much for your time!
Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!
I knew it all along without any help!
liar
Sometimes I pseudo-sting with my penis too but everybody starts laughing. What am I doing wrong?
P.S: Self Upvoted for visibility
Probably the "helicopter" move! Think about it...
χαχαχαχαχαχαχαχα.......αχαχαχαχααχαχαχαααα.....
...i think it's because you 'pseudo-sting' ...just try to sting and you will notice the difference!!!....
...καφριλα μεχρις εσχατων....
Lol. Who doesn't pseudo-sting with the penis? Isn't it part of the functions of the penis? :p
Oh my! Oh my! x_X
Well, thank goodness it ain't a robot! It could've been worse 😀
Yes! It could have bitten the cat as well :P
Wasps are pretty badass. They are like the honey badger of insects, nobody messes with them
Oooh yeah! They're bad and kicking ass!! :P
To be honest I don't like them, they have some nerve, don't you agree? But they look pretty ;)
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What? No nick name for this internet famous wasp?
Can we call her "Red"?
I guess that makes you Red's Godfather!! :P
Hi @ruth-girl!
The ant in the snap taken by you is really cute!!
Moreover, it was really a refreshing article to be read!! I liked it very much.
It is worthy to be kept in my library, so as to get refreshed several times by reading it!!
I love your presentation skills very much and every time I learn quite a lot from it!! :)
Thank you so much for those kind words @star-vc!
I really appreciate the encouragement!! :D
Most welcome!! 😇
That insect from the first pic looks dangerous, any ant-like insect with the red color is something I want as far away from me as possible :P It is funny males use their penis for defense though, wonder if any other animal/insect does the same?
Oh I want them far away too! I took a few photos and let it get down my balcony! But I'd like to see it again in the garden...
That penis fact is indeed funny, one would expect for the males to sting too...
αληθεια ομως...ποσο μ@λ@κ@ς μπορει να ειναι ο τυπος στο βιντεακι...ειναι δυνατον???.... ο μαζοχισμος δεν εχει ορια
Ασε, ασε! Παντελως βαρεμενος ο τυπος! Οκ, καλα τα views και τα λεφτα απ'τις διαφημισεις, αλλα αυτος το εχεσε... Πρεπει να ξεφυγε απο το Jackass! Η απλως να το εβλεπε φανατικα οταν ηταν μικρος :Ρ
Here comes our sexy ant again.
This particular line piqued my curiosity:
Why would the guy by equipped for flight response to threat, while the babe is equipped with the tool to fight and ward off intruders? It should be the duty of the man to fight..
Weird ant:DFlight/fight responses - in reverse
Nice one Ruthie
Well, they are supposed to stay in the ground and find nests to hide their eggs, so I'm guessing it has to do with that (maybe?)
Nature always has a reason for making things the way they are, even if we can't figure out why :)
Thanks for coming over Sammy!!! :D
Oh man, super cool stuff!
Too bad it didn't show up today, I kind of liked her :(
The exact type of post I prefer to read. 100% original and timeless
Hvala puno! ;)
(I hope I spelled it correctly)
Perfect :)
Hello @ruth-girl
I think we can all see why it is important to always share information both. Without you sharing that information yesterday, @trumpman wouldn't have seen it let alone correcting you. And do you know how many people have now been properly informed through this ant based article. If there's no one else, then I am...
The above is the key point. I never imagined what you shared yesterday wasn't an ant.
Thanks for always sharing your thoughts.
Regards
@eurogee of @euronation and @steemstem communities
You are right @eurogee, being able to share information here and discuss everyday findings promotes knowledge in a fun and more productive way!
Thank you for coming over! :D
✌️✌️
hahaha the thought that was just an ant was relaxing. Now that i saw the winged male form nah-ah DEATH TO THEM!
Something like that?? :P
hahaha exactly!
Woooow. So cool. Haha. Now I know what it is when I see one. 👍👍👍
It's so red when it gets bigger huh... i mean the cow killer.
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Ahahahahaha!!!
Yeah well I did add that it was a different one, the cow killer. 😁
Oh wait.. are you thinking abt something else? 😂😂😂
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Μήπως ειναι γκοτζιλα;;;
Μπορει να ειναι διασταυρωση με το τερας του Λοχ Νες :Ρ
κατι κατάλαβα... αλλα δε μπορούσα να το διασταυρώσω....Καλημέρα :p
Wow really interesting post. Great, thorough searching done. Im not really a fan of insects so i would have also guessed it to be the most mildly dangerous insect, like an ant. Cant wait to see your next post! Keep it up !! :D
Ooooh, thanks a lot! See you!
I would have sworn it was an ant hahaha. I join the group of readers who did not see it coming.
The female defends her zone and the male watches from above. Very funny and funny that the male sting with his penis hahaha.
Objective fulfilled for me! today I learned something new thanks to you @ ruth-girl.
Happy day!