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Velvet ant (Hoplocrates), Sani Lodge, Ecuador This seems to be the same species as we photographed in Colombia a few years earlier:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/74777/velvet_ant_-_side_view_putumayo_colombia.html" title="Velvet ant - side view, Putumayo, Colombia"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/74777_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1761782410&Signature=C%2BuBhHcZToc30zmUKtCGuV7KBtA%3D" width="200" height="146" alt="Velvet ant - side view, Putumayo, Colombia Possibly Hoplocrates sp. In case you&#039;re unfamiliar with velvet ants, a few facts:<br /> <br /> - They are not ants, they are wasps in the Mutillidae family where the wingless females resemble ants. Yet they are more hairy than a real ant, which is one way to recognize them.<br /> <br /> - They have a notorious reputation for their powerful sting, which is in the top 5 of most painful insect bites, just after the Bullet ant.<br /> <br /> - Now to downplay that reputation: Velvet ant are highly defensive, stinging is the absolute last resort. They employ a few tactics to avoid a confrontation altogether. Their mimicry seen in the bands of the abdomen have evolved to come part of one of the largest M&uuml;llerian mimicry rings on the planet. Meaning: several independent species evolving the same warning signals that are &quot;proven&quot; to fend of predators, as those predators learned to avoid prey with these patterns. Second, Velvet ants are able to produce an audible sound when predators come to close, and it will intensify in frequency as the predator comes even closer. Third, they have strong, long legs that make them pretty fast in fleeing, despite having no wings. <br /> <br /> - For all their defensive tactics, their main offensive trait is that they lay their eggs on the larvae of ground-nesting bees and wasps. This is why you&#039;d typically find the female running on bare ground. When the egg hatches, it eats the larvae for food and will even reuse the pupal case of the larvae to spin its own cocoon. <br /> <br /> Their nickname &quot;cow killer&quot; is bothersome as it suggests they are a pest. They are no pest at all. They don&#039;t bother people or cattle in any way. They&#039;re not even a pest to plants. <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/74776/velvet_ant_-_top_view_putumayo_colombia.html Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,Mocoa,Putumayo,South America,World" /></a></figure> Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Sani Lodge,South America,Spring,World,Yasuni National Park Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

Velvet ant (Hoplocrates), Sani Lodge, Ecuador

This seems to be the same species as we photographed in Colombia a few years earlier:

Velvet ant - side view, Putumayo, Colombia Possibly Hoplocrates sp. In case you're unfamiliar with velvet ants, a few facts:<br /> <br /> - They are not ants, they are wasps in the Mutillidae family where the wingless females resemble ants. Yet they are more hairy than a real ant, which is one way to recognize them.<br /> <br /> - They have a notorious reputation for their powerful sting, which is in the top 5 of most painful insect bites, just after the Bullet ant.<br /> <br /> - Now to downplay that reputation: Velvet ant are highly defensive, stinging is the absolute last resort. They employ a few tactics to avoid a confrontation altogether. Their mimicry seen in the bands of the abdomen have evolved to come part of one of the largest Müllerian mimicry rings on the planet. Meaning: several independent species evolving the same warning signals that are "proven" to fend of predators, as those predators learned to avoid prey with these patterns. Second, Velvet ants are able to produce an audible sound when predators come to close, and it will intensify in frequency as the predator comes even closer. Third, they have strong, long legs that make them pretty fast in fleeing, despite having no wings. <br /> <br /> - For all their defensive tactics, their main offensive trait is that they lay their eggs on the larvae of ground-nesting bees and wasps. This is why you'd typically find the female running on bare ground. When the egg hatches, it eats the larvae for food and will even reuse the pupal case of the larvae to spin its own cocoon. <br /> <br /> Their nickname "cow killer" is bothersome as it suggests they are a pest. They are no pest at all. They don't bother people or cattle in any way. They're not even a pest to plants. <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/74776/velvet_ant_-_top_view_putumayo_colombia.html Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,Mocoa,Putumayo,South America,World

    comments (2)

  1. View Patomarazul's profile
    Patomarazul
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Niiiiice! Posted 3 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
      Lion
      View Lion class
      Another "look but don't touch" :) Posted 3 years ago

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By Ferdy Christant

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Uploaded Mar 4, 2022. Captured Nov 15, 2021 20:59 in 67C6X698+22.
country flag of Ecuador Explore Ecuador 1,787 846 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/16.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO64
  • 105mm