For example, they found that the cuticle reflectance of the female velvet ants closely resembles the spectra produced by other animal species with ultrablack coloration (Figure 3). Reflectance ...

And in velvet ants, the answer may be multi-fold. Female velvet ants are parasites of certain species of wasps and bees, seeking out their nests and laying eggs on the helpless pupae. And when ...

The sting of a female velvet ant is one of the most painful in the animal kingdom. Now, researchers have discovered that these insects have multiple proteins in their venom that make it ...

Many of these delightfully fuzzy insects exhibit bright, contrasting shades of black with red, orange or white. Their bold bodies serve as a clear warning that you should keep a respectful distance - ...

Not to be confused with fire ants, red velvet ants actually aren't ants at all; they're wasps. Female red velvet ants are the only ones that can sting and resemble ants due to their wingless ...

It is perhaps why some Brazilians refer to them colloquially as sorcerer ants. A team of scientists led by Lopez recently found that the black parts on female velvet ants were actually ultrablack ...

A velvet ant bite like “hot oil from the deep fryer” delivers an array of peptides that inflicts pain on insects and mammals alike.