Mutillidae durable, the exoskeleton is also round, making it more difficult for predators to pierce it with attempted stings or bites. During all the trials that led to the fracture of a velvet ant’s exoskeleton, a total of 4 times, resulted in the death of that velvet ant within 24 hours. Thus aside from protection from predators, the exoskeleton provides a function maintaining moisture control. Male mutillids fly in search of females; after mating, the female enters a host insect nest, typically a ground-nesting bee or wasp burrow, and deposits one egg near each larva or pupa. Only a few species
Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum and research activities were resumed. In the spring of 1999, after the death of Hayk Mirzayans, with the proposal of the then Agricultural Minister, the collection was named the Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum (HMIM). Today the collection holds about 4 million specimens, containing many type specimens and has been declared a national treasure. Identification of insect fauna of Iran is the main objective of HMIM, and the Insect Taxonomy Research Department remains the main authoritative source for insect identification in Iran. With the ongoing activities in this regard and especially the implementation of projects such as "Investigation, Collecting and Identification