Euspinolia militaris
|Euspinolia militaris|
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|Euspinolia militaris|
Euspinolia militaris is a species of wasp in the family Mutillidae.[1] Though it is a wingless wasp, it has sometimes been referred to by the name panda ant.[2]
Description[edit]
This species was discovered in 1938, and inhabits the Chilean sclerophyll forests. It has been referred to as the "panda ant" due to its coloration; with white coat covering all of its head except the eyes, and black and white spots appearing over the rest of its body. The coloration is aposematic, serving as a warning to predators of its painful and powerful sting. Females are wingless and males have wings. They measure up to 8 millimeters in length. They are ectoparasites of mature larvae or pre-pupae of other insects as is true of other mutillids, with females using the ovipositor to insert eggs into host brood cells, and for stinging (for defense). Like other mutillids, during mating the males are presumed to lift females and proceed to mate while airborne.[3]
Stridulation[edit]
This species produces sound in response to threats from potential predators via stridulation, as do other mutillids, though this species is unusual in having a strong ultrasonic component to the sounds it produces.[4]
References[edit]
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mutillidae.|
- Footnotes
- ^ Pagliano, Guido (2011-10-31). "I Mutillidae (Hymenoptera) della collezione Zavattari Le collezioni del Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino. II". Bollettino. Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali. Torino (in Italian). 28–1: 37–60 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ Finley, Reginald V. (2016-01-17). "The Panda Ant (Euspinolia militaris)". Exploring Our Planet's Amazing Biodiversity. Amazing Life. Archived from the original on 2017-03-13. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
- ^ Fernández, F. and M.J. Sharkey (eds.) 2006. Introduction to the Hymenoptera of the Neotropical Region. Colombian Entomology Society and National University of Colombia, Bogotá DC, xxx + 894 pp.
- ^ Torrico-Bazoberry, Daniel & Muñoz, Matías (2019) High-frequency components in the distress stridulation of Chilean endemic velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Revista Chilena de Entomología. 45. 5-13.
- Sources