Dasymutilla occidentalis Dasymutilla occidentalis Dasymutilla occidentalis (red velvet ant or eastern velvet ant), is a species of parasitoid wasp native to the eastern United States. It is commonly mistaken for a member of the true ant family, as the female is wingless. The species ranges from Connecticut to Missouri in the north and Florida to Texas in the south. Other common names include cow ant and cow killer. The eastern velvet ant is the largest of the velvet ant species in the United States, attaining an approximate length of 0.75 in (1.9 cm). Adults display aposematic coloration, consisting of black overall coloring
Green-head ant 1863 he moved the ant from "Rhytidoponera" to "Ectatomma". In 1897 Italian entomologist Carlo Emery named the ant "Rhytidoponera metallica" and in 1911 designated it as the type species of "Chalcoponera", a subgenus of "Rhytidoponera"; the ant was, however, mistakenly identified as the type species of "Rhytidoponera" by some scientists. The taxonomy of the green-head ant and other species related to it (forming the "R.metallica" species group) were a source of confusion due to the high geographic variations in the green-head ant and similar-looking species having been treated as forms (occurrence of multiple morphs). These forms have been described under