Pacific Velvet Ant vs Lunate Ichneumon
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Pacific Velvet Ant | Lunate Ichneumon |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dasymutilla sackenii | Megarhyssa greenei |
| Order | Hymenoptera | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Mutillidae | Ichneumonidae |
| Size | 10-16 mm | 25-40 mm body, ovipositor up to 80 mm |
| Habitat | Beaches & Coastal | Woodlands |
| Diet | Parasitoids | Parasitoids |
| Regions | Western North America | North America |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Pacific Velvet Ant
A medium-sized velvet ant with orange and black coloring found along the Pacific coast of North America. It parasitizes ground-nesting bees and wasps.
Did You Know?
Males are winged and look so different from the wingless females that they were originally described as separate species.
Lunate Ichneumon
A reddish-brown parasitoid wasp native to North America. It targets horntail larvae in hardwood trees and uses its long ovipositor to reach them.
Did You Know?
It is the smallest of the three North American Megarhyssa species but still impressively large.