Giant African Antlion vs Red Velvet Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Giant African Antlion Red Velvet Ant
Scientific Name Palpares speciosus Dasymutilla magnifica
Order Neuroptera Hymenoptera
Family Myrmeleontidae Mutillidae
Size 100-130 mm wingspan 12-20 mm
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Deserts & Drylands
Diet Predators Nectar Feeders
Regions Southern Africa, East Africa Southwestern United States, Mexico
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Giant African Antlion

A massive African antlion with strikingly marked black-and-yellow wings. One of the largest neuropteran insects in the world.

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Did You Know?

It is among the largest living neuropterans, with some individuals exceeding 13 cm in wingspan.

Red Velvet Ant

A large, brilliantly red-haired velvet ant found in the arid regions of the American Southwest. Females are wingless and run rapidly across open ground.

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Did You Know?

Its exoskeleton is so tough that entomological pins often bend when researchers attempt to mount specimens.