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Project Noah Nature School
Dasymutilla occidentalis
Females of this wasp are flightless and approximately 3/4 inch long. The head, thorax and abdomen are bright red and furry looking. The abdomen has two prominent black bands. The antennae and legs are black. The males are about an inch long. The face, wings, antennae and legs are black. The top of the thorax is red and furry. The abdomen is black with two red bands. Individuals within a species vary in size depending on the size of the larval host.
This fellow was darting around the leaf litter beneath some tall trees near a stream in a green belt area.
Spotted on Aug 5, 2013
Submitted on Aug 6, 2013
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