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Dasymutilla sp.
not an ant, but a hairy, flightless wasp
semi-arid upland plateau penetrated by erosional canyons, located between low desert to the west and mountains to the east, with ground cover of stunted pinyon, juniper and various shrubs on the mesa top providing a habitat for fauna including several species of small mammal and reptile as well as resident and migratory birds
spotted near Sun Temple at Mesa Verde National Park; most images of this species available online show a lateral black stripe across the abdomen; a few are colored as is the specimen in this spotting
BugEric: Thanks for the correction. As I went back through the comments on this spotting, it appears that I'm the one who went from a name-only ID to adding Genus and species. I've updated the scientific name.
Meanwhile, not to be contentious, but simply to follow-up out of curiosity, you don't know what it is, exactly, but you know what it's not. There must be some telltale visual clue for Dasymutilla occidentalis that is absent from my images. In other words, what tells you what it's not?
This is *not* Dasymutilla occidentalis. Dasymutilla of some other species. Almost impossible to identify these from images alone in most cases.
Nor had I, Nopayahnah. Fortunately, I had help with the ID, and I used it to do a little self-education. (Is that the same as home-schooling?) The nick name of this beastie is "cow killer," apparently because of its nasty, painful sting.
Spotted on May 11, 2011
Submitted on Apr 19, 2012
