African Mud Dauber vs Lesser Bullet Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Mud Dauber Lesser Bullet Ant
Scientific Name Sceliphron spirifex Neoponera villosa
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Sphecidae Formicidae
Size 20-28 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Underground Woodlands
Diet Nectar Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Throughout Africa Southern United States, Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

African Mud Dauber

A slender black and yellow wasp with an extremely narrow petiole waist. It constructs mud nests on walls and ceilings, provisioning them with paralyzed spiders.

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Did You Know?

A single mud nest cell may contain up to 25 paralyzed spiders stacked together as food for one developing larva.

Lesser Bullet Ant

A large black ponerine ant found from Texas through South America with a powerful sting. It nests in tree hollows and dead wood, foraging arboreally at night.

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Did You Know?

It is sometimes called the 'false bullet ant' because its sting, while very painful, is less severe than that of Paraponera.