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''Mutilla europaea'', the large velvet ant, is a species of
parasitoid wasp Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran Superfamily (zoology), superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, ...
s belonging to the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Mutillidae Velvet ants (Mutillidae) are a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their resemblance to an ant, and their dense pile of hair, which most often is br ...
. It is a parasitoid on various species of
bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...
s and is found in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.


Description

The males of ''M. europaea'' are dark red on the apex of mandible and the thorax. The first and second
terga A ''tergum'' (Latin for "the back"; : ''terga'', associated adjective tergal) is the dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The anterior edge is called the 'base' and posterior edge is called the 'apex' or 'margin'. ...
on the abdomen have bands of long silver
setae In biology, setae (; seta ; ) are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Depending partly on their form and function, protostome setae may be called macrotrichia, chaetae ...
, that on the second tergum may either be interrupted or wavy. The sides of the second tergum are clothed in long silver setae. The tip of the abdomen and the rest of the body are covered with long black, straight setae. The legs are largely covered in black setae, with a scattering of silver setae. Some variation occurs, and in some specimens, silver dominate setae dominate the hind legs, some males are completely black. In females, the
mesonotum The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments of the thorax of hexapods, and bears the second pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the mesonotum (dorsal), the mesosternum ( ventral), and the mesopleuron (lateral) ...
is red, and sometimes extends to parts of the
pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...
. The first tergum has a band of long, silver setae, the remaining terga are spotted with silver setae along their flanks; they can be close together. The legs have some short, adjecting black and silver setae. The presence of the setae, or bristles, gives rise to the name "
velvet ant Velvet ants (Mutillidae) are a family (biology), family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their resemblance to an ant, and their dense pile of hair, whic ...
".


Distribution

''Mutilla europaea'' is a widespread species found in most of Europe and reaches as far as China in the east. It also occurs in Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. In Great Britain, it is locally distributed, mainly in the south and east, but has recently been recorded as far north as
Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
.


Habitat and biology

''Mutilla europaea'' occurs in heaths, moors, chalk grassland, and woodland. In England, it appears to have its closest association with lowland heaths, and the females are most often recorded running across sandy paths. Like the other wasps in the family Mutillidae, ''M. europaea'' wasps are parasitoids of the resting stages of other insects. Various bumblebees in the
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Bombus A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...
'' are the main hosts for this species, although it has also been infrequently reported in the hives of the
honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the ...
(''Apis mellifera''). Once she enters the host nest, the female lays an egg into a cocoon, which contains either the prepupae or young
pupae A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...
of the bee. The wasp larva consumes the pupae, before spinning a cocoon within the host's cocoon. The size of the wasp that emerges from its cocoon is partly dependent on the size of the host, with wasps hosted by honeybees smaller than those using bumblebees as hosts. When it emerges, the adult wasp feeds on the honey stores of the host bees. The males die soon after emergence in the autumn, but the females hibernate over the winter, sometimes using the host nest for this. They also hibernate at the roots of low vegetation. The winged males of ''M. europaea'' are occasionally recorded feeding on nectar, the flowers from which they have been recorded feeding include wild parsnip. Females have been recorded visiting flowers, but this is very unusual. ''Mutilla europaea'' wasps are also
cleptoparasite Kleptoparasitism (originally spelt clepto-parasitism, meaning "parasitism by theft") is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct fe ...
s, and they have been recorded sneaking into the nests of the paper wasp ''
Polistes biglumis ''Polistes biglumis'' is a species of social wasp within ''Polistes'', the most common genus of paper wasp. It is distinguished mainly by its tendency to reside in montane climates in meadows or alpine areas. Selection pressure from the wasp's en ...
'' to rob them of their food stores. They are thought to be able to do this due to an ability to disguise their own scent, which means that the ''Polistes'' wasps cannot detect them. When threatened, these wasps can stridulate by rubbing a raised structure, called the plectrum, which is found on the underside of the second tergum, over rows of dense narrow ridges at the base of adjoining segment. These wasps are also known to be very strong and armoured with a thick skin, and in North America, related species have been reported to be able to force their escape from the mouths of predators such as lizards and frogs. They have a painful sting, too, and this has given rise to the colloquial name "cow killer", which is completely inappropriate, as although they have a painful sting, their venom is much less toxic than the venom of a honeybee. They are, however, not aggressive and only sting people if handled.


References


Biolib

Fauna Europaea
* Alessia Uboni, M. Cristina Lorenz
Poor Odors, Strength, and Persistence Give Their Rewards to Mutilla europaea Visiting Dangerous Wasp Nests


External links


Hymis.eu

Aramel.free

UK Wildlife
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1955847 Mutillidae Hymenoptera of Europe Insects of North Africa Insects described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus