Dasymutilla sackenii explained

Dasymutilla sackenii, also known as Sacken's velvet ant, is a species of velvet ant, actually a type of wasp.[1] It is found in Oregon, California, Nevada, Baja California, and Baja California Sur.[2] As with most velvet ants, the males have wings and the females are wingless. The females of this species have cream-colored fuzz (setae) on their backs and black fuzz on their ventral side and legs. D. sackenii is most commonly observed May through October; observations December through February are very rare.

D. sackenii superficially resembles Dasymutilla albiceris and they also have a similar geographic distribution.[3]

The specific name honors 19th-century German diplomat and entomologist Carl Robert Osten-Sacken.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dasymutilla sackenii (Sacken's Velvet Ant) . iNaturalist . 2024-08-03 . en-US.
  2. Web site: Species Dasymutilla sackenii - Sacken's Velvet Ant . 2024-08-03 . bugguide.net.
  3. Manley . Donald G. . Williams . Kevin A. . Pitts . James P. . 2020-05-11 . Keys to Nearctic Velvet Ants of the Genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), with Notes on Taxonomic Changes since Krombein (1979) . Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington . 122 . 2 . 335 . 10.4289/0013-8797.122.2.335 . 0013-8797.