[Editor: The body is approximately 1 inch long. I’ve never seen anything like it down here. It is a brighter red than the picture makes it seem.]
Update: Hipparchia has identified it as a Milkweed Assassin Bug [Zelus longipes]. It is not fully mature so the wings are just beginning to come out on its back between the middle and rear legs. It ‘assassinates’ all the right things [mosquitoes, flies, caterpillars] so it is a welcome addition.
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11 comments
Hmmmm. It looks suspiciously like a family of wasp’s that mimic ant’s. The females have no wing’s. They are also solitary and don’t congregate in hives. The one I know of, the Mutillid (velvet ant) or Cow Killer is truly nasty!
I’ve had a look and it’s not quite like either (though it’s closer to the Mutillid Wasp. The rear is similar, but the head is wrong. Also, most are covered by fine hair’s (hence the name Velvet Ant)) However, there are some 5,000 species estimated worldwide, and over 400 known in Nth America) Mutilidae species where all the females are wingless and resemble ant’s. Dunno. 🙂 You may have to post the pic on one of the many online bug sites. 🙂 I’ve used one here called “AntBlog”. They are pretty well respected here.
*shrug* Nice pic BTW. Good luck finding out. 🙂
Found a pic here, though it’s not very good.
Mutillid Wasp – (Pseudomethocha oculata)
And this one:
Cow Killer – (Dasymutilla occidentalis)
Well, you have me mighty curious now m8! LOL
I really think it’s some kind of wasp. 🙂 There’s a young fellow name of Efram Goldberg from Melbourne, Florida who spends an inordinate amount of time photographing and identifying Wasps. (Now there’s a double coincidence!) 😉 😆
There are several red/black, and female’s are usually wingless.
Wasps
There are some definite similarities. 🙂 Maybe you should send him your pic, or maybe to Dr. James Wiley @ Florida Museum of Entomology. Who knows? May be something *new* (and probably deadly). 😉 LOL
The antennae are a problem for a wasp. Ants have an ‘elbow’ in their antennae, while wasps supposedly don’t, and there is a definite ‘elbow’ present. Since it is bright red I assume it is nasty. Most brightly colored insects are, so I didn’t even think of capturing it. The body is about 2.5cm, so it was hard to miss, and was in the same area as Moby Dick, so I had the camera out and even remembered to switch to ‘Macro’ before taking the picture.
I think you’re right, I’ll probably have to send an e-mail to someone to find out what it is.
an ant expert: http://www.myrmecos.net/
I think it’s some kind of Hymenoptera, but it is probably a ‘tourist’. I’ll keep looking.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelus_longipes
You got it. It is an immature bug and hasn’t grown its wings yet. The good news is that it eats things I don’t like much.
Thanks a lot! I’ve been looking at bugs all day, but the way they store things makes finding them nearly impossible, especially when you are trying to match an immature version of the bug.
I probably would never have found it if not for kryten. after wandering around the web for a while, I gave up and went back to the cow killer link above, where I figured it couldn’t hurt to click on the link for florida. fortunately the list of florida bugs was in alphabetical order. 🙂
Well done hipparchia. 🙂 I’ve been somewhat busy, so I’m glad you found it. 🙂 Things like that drive me nutz! 😉 😀 I have a very deep seated desire to *know things*. Mom always said it would get me in trouble, then I joined the Military who like people with my skill set and that deep desire to get to the truth of things. Mom was right (why are they always right? It’s soooo annoying!) *sigh* Some knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Though if one is smart enough, one can ensure it’s only dangerous for someone else. Right Bryan? 😉 😈
Still, the old saying that the best way to learn is the hard way, is also correct, unfortunately! Must be the way we are wired I guess. *shrug*
Anyway… team effort! 😀
This things has a nasty ‘dagger’ that is stored under its chin when not in use, like a switchblade. It stabs victims and injects digestive juices so it can suck out the result. If it stabs you, there is pain involved, but no toxic effect. The area around the wound is dissolved and itches like crazy. The bright colors almost always mean something like that.