MutillidaeAglaotilla Bothriomutilla rugicollis (Mutillid Wasp) Dasymutillini

The Dasymutillini tribe are wasps (at time of writing) containing a group of 20 genus and many species, all within the family Mutillidae.

Many members of this tribe are known for the painful sting of the female, such as those of the commonly named Velvet Ants. Once particular species Dasymutilla gloriosa, appears on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index of a pain level of 2.

Known as the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, this ranking of perceived pain was by entomologist Justin Schmidt, who recorded his own experience of venomous stings, to rate and describe the pain caused by venom of insects.2

Source: Natural History Museum (UK)
Bothriomutilla rugicollis (Mutillid wasp), Cookernup WA © Carl Richards
Bothriomutilla rugicollis (Mutillid wasp), Cookernup WA © Carl Richards
Velvet Ant Family (tribe Dasymutillini, genus Dasymutilla), Alice Springs NT
Wingless female Velvet Ant Family (tribe Dasymutillini, genus Dasymutilla), Alice Springs NT
Tribe Dasymutillini, Kuranda QLD © Tony Eales
Tribe Dasymutillini, Mount Coot-Tha QLD © Tony Eales
Tribe Dasymutillini, Mount Coot-Tha QLD © Tony Eales
Tribe Dasymutillini, Mount Coot-Tha QLD © Tony Eales
Velvet Ant (Tribe Dasymutillini), Freshwater National Park QLD © Tony Eales
Velvet Ant (Tribe Dasymutillini), Freshwater National Park QLD © Tony Eales
Velvet Ant (tribe (Dasymutillini) - about 20 mm long, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Velvet Ant (tribe (Dasymutillini) – about 20 mm long, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Velvet Ant (tribe (Dasymutillini) - about 20 mm long, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Velvet Ant (tribe (Dasymutillini) – about 20 mm long, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Velvet Ant (tribe (Dasymutillini) - about 20 mm long, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Velvet Ant (tribe (Dasymutillini) – about 20 mm long, Midwest WA Gary Taylor
  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Subclass: Pterygota
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Suborder: Apocrita
  • Infraorder: Aculeata
  • Superfamily: Pompiloidea
  • Family: Mutillidae
  • Subfamily: Sphaeropthalminae
  • Tribe: Dasymutillini
  • Genus:
    • Aglaotilla
    • Ancistrotilla
    • Ascetotilla
    • Australotilla
    • Bothriomutilla
    • Cephalomutilla
    • Dasymutilla
    • Ephutomorpha
    • Eurymutilla
    • Frigitilla
    • Gogoltilla
    • Leucospilomutilla
    • Lomachaeta
    • Odontomyrme
    • Ponerotilla
    • Quwitilla
    • Reedomutilla
    • Suareztilla
    • Tobantilla
    • Traumatomutilla

Footnote & References

  1. Tribe Dasymutillini, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/1124745-Dasymutillini
  2. Schmidt Sting Pain Index, Natural History Museum, https://www.nhm.ac.uk/scroller-schmidt-painscale/
  3. Australian Polistinae and other Hymenoptera, Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/188453645581988/
  4. Mutillidae, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/39e1070e-5cdc-4f24-870d-5d1b951cb954
  5. Velvet Ants (Family Mutillidae), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/48511-Mutillidae

MutillidaeAglaotilla Bothriomutilla rugicollis (Mutillid Wasp) Dasymutillini

WaspsWasps Index Australian Large Wasps Australian Mud Nest Wasps Mud Wasp Velvet Ants Abispa ephippium Acarozumia amaliae Aulacidae Australodynerus Bembix Bembicinae Blue Hairy Flower Wasp Braconidae Chrysididae Cryptocheilus bicolor (Orange Spider Wasp) Delta latreillei (Potter Wasp) Eumeninae Ferreola handschini (Orange-collared Spider Wasp) Flower Wasps Gasteruptiid Wasp Hairy Flower Wasps Isodontia (Grass-carrying Wasp) Lissopimpla excelsa (Orchid Dupe Wasp) Mutillidae Paralastor sp. Pseudabispa bicolor ssp. nigrocinctoides Radumeris radula (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Radumeris tasmaniensis (Yellow Hairy Flower Wasp) Sceliphron laetum Thynnid Wasps Tiphiidae Yellow and Black Wasp

InsectsBees Beetles Blattodea Butterflies Coleoptera Cicada Crabronidae Diptera Dragonflies & Damselflies Formicidae Hemiptera Heteroptera (True Bugs) Mango Planthopper Moths Orthoptera Orthopteroid Processionary Caterpillar Stink Bugs, Shield Bugs and Allies Syrphidae Wasps Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes tristis) Witchetty Grub