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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Dasymutilla occidentalis
Hymenoptera / Mutillidae
Dasymutilla occidentalis is a solitary parasitoid wasp with contrasting red-orange hairs and black body regions. Wingless females and winged males differ markedly, and the female’s defensive venom acts through several distinct molecular components.
Read the species account
The species occurs in the United States, extending from Florida north toward Connecticut and Pennsylvania and west toward Texas and Kansas. Sunny fields, meadows, forest edges and sandy ground provide habitat. [2]
Velvet-ant development takes place within another insect’s nest. A female places an egg near a suitable host’s immature stage; the developing larva consumes host brood and later pupates within the nest. Adults subsequently lead solitary lives. [1]
Adult nectar feeding is distinct from the larval parasitoid diet. The species account records associations with ground-nesting bees and wasps, including cicada-killer and horse-guard wasps. [2]
In a 2024 experiment, the venom peptide Do6a activated fruit-fly nociceptors through heteromeric Pickpocket/Balboa ion channels. The isolated peptide did not produce the tested pain-related behaviour in mice, where other venom peptides were active. [3]
In laboratory trials with a female Chinese mantis, Tenodera sinensis, a defensive sting from the wasp elicited aversive behaviour. These repeated trials involved the whole sting. [3]
Virginia Cooperative Extension · Accessed 2026-10-13
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web · Accessed 2026-10-13
Current Biology · Accessed 2026-10-13
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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