Ronisia barbarula. Species of hymenopter in the family Mutillidae , known as Spider ant or velvet ant. Capture bees of the genera Megachile and Anthophora. Lives in open, sandy or rocky spaces, often near streams. Its distribution is Mediterranean.
Summary
[ hide ]
- 1Habitat
- 1 Distribution and feeding
- 2 Description of the species
- 2 Sources
Habitat
It lives in open, sandy or rocky spaces, often near streams.
Distribution and feeding
Its distribution is Mediterranean. It captures bees of the genera Megachile and Anthophora . Their stings are painful.
Species Description
Spider ants are hymenopterans with marked sexual dimorphism: in addition to differences between the sexes in the color pattern of the body.
The females do not have wings, while the males have longer antennae. The larvae are ectoparasites of nesting Hymenoptera of the families Apidae and Sphecidae ; this is the reason why they are easily seen hanging around the nests of their hosts, waiting for one of them to be momentarily abandoned to occupy it. Their stings are painful.
