Banded Velvet Ant
Male, wing venation & ventral
Ellura
Banded Velvet Ant
Male, anterior
 
                      
Banded Velvet Ant (Ephutomorpha cf sp ES02)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Family: Velvet Ant (Wasp: Mutillidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Banded Velvet Ant (Ephutomorpha cf sp ES02)
This Photo:     Male, profile

Thank you Dr Kevin Williams for identifying and Dr Denis Brothers for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Normally the females are the only velvet ants seen, not because of rarity but probably because they are flightless. However, the odd male (as here) is occationally photographed. There seems to be very little reference material to identifiy Mutillidae family closer than family; so it's quite possible this is the same as a female we have already posted.
~10mm long (head & body)

Copyright © 2017-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 07-Feb-2017
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.