There are about 8,000 species in the wasp family Mutillidae. This group is more commonly known as velvet ants, a name that comes from the females' resemblance to large, hairy ants. Velvet ants are ...

Wasps aren’t normally admired for their looks, but one species—Traumatomutilla bifurca, a Brazilian velvet ant—is unlike any other. It has ultra-dark markings that reflect less than 1 percent of ...

The species in question is Traumatomutilla bifurca, a type of velvet ant – which is, somewhat confusingly, actually a species of wasp. Some of these wasps don't have any wings, but they do have ...

There are several wasp species that closely resemble ants, including the velvet ant, which is actually a hairy, wingless wasp. — University of Nebraska-Lincoln Ancient ants found perfectly ...

Velvet ants are not actually ants. They belong to a family of more than 3,000 wasps found worldwide. Around 480 species have been reported from the United States. Tiny bristles covering the body ...