Cow Killer. Mutillid Wasp aka Velvet Ant, Mickelidia pulchrinella, Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Off to look at the marvelous exhibition of contemporary Muslim calligraphy at the fine Islamic Arts Museum, we strolled first through the pleasant Lake Gardens, the Taman Tasik Perdana. Soon I was on my knees looking at a variety of ants. And then was startled just a bit...
There she was on a blade of grass, a small wingless female Mutillid Wasp, ca. 8 mm long. Superficially she looks very much like an ant though hairier, hence her common name: Velvet Ant. But beware: she's a Wasp and her sting can be so painful she's called a Cow Killer. Her beauty intrigued me so I spent some time carefully watching. I wasn't sure about her 'real' name but found a clue - with a spelling error - in A Guide to Common Insects (Draco Publishing, Singapore 2006). I think now she's Mickelidia pulchrinella, a name devised by Paolo Magretti (1854-1913), a versatile Italian entomologist in 1892. I'm not really sure, though, of that name. Anyone out there to help me? You've really got to be good at this: there are between 3000 and 5000 species of Mutillid Wasps!
Cow Killer. Mutillid Wasp aka Velvet Ant, Mickelidia pulchrinella, Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Off to look at the marvelous exhibition of contemporary Muslim calligraphy at the fine Islamic Arts Museum, we strolled first through the pleasant Lake Gardens, the Taman Tasik Perdana. Soon I was on my knees looking at a variety of ants. And then was startled just a bit...
There she was on a blade of grass, a small wingless female Mutillid Wasp, ca. 8 mm long. Superficially she looks very much like an ant though hairier, hence her common name: Velvet Ant. But beware: she's a Wasp and her sting can be so painful she's called a Cow Killer. Her beauty intrigued me so I spent some time carefully watching. I wasn't sure about her 'real' name but found a clue - with a spelling error - in A Guide to Common Insects (Draco Publishing, Singapore 2006). I think now she's Mickelidia pulchrinella, a name devised by Paolo Magretti (1854-1913), a versatile Italian entomologist in 1892. I'm not really sure, though, of that name. Anyone out there to help me? You've really got to be good at this: there are between 3000 and 5000 species of Mutillid Wasps!