1986•Florida EntomologistOpen access

Sex-Biased Size Variation in Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)

Mark Deyrup, Donald G. Manley

Abstract

The relative sizes of male and female Mutillidae were studied at the Archbold Biological Station in south-central Florida. Females are larger than males in Dasymutilla pyrrhus (Fox), Pseudomethoca sanbornii aeetis (Fox), and P. oculata (Banks). Males are larger than females in Timulla d. dubitata (Smith), T. floridensis (Blake), Ephuta f. floridana Schuster, E. m. margueritae Schuster, E. s. slossonae (Fox), Dasymutilla archboldi Schmidt and Mickel, and Photomorphus paulus (Bradley). There is no significant difference in Dasymutilla asopus bexar (Blake), D. nigripes (Fabricius), and D. castor (Blake). Sex-biased size variation may be associated with courtship behavior or host-seeking behavior.

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Key concepts: Velvet, Hymenoptera, Biology, Variation (astronomy), Zoology, Organic chemistry, Physics, Chemistry