---
title: "Common Eastern Velvet Ant"
description: "Dasymutilla occidentalis — Insetos e aranhas. Dasymutilla occidentalis (red velvet ant, eastern velvet ant, cow ant or cow killer) is a species of parasitoid wasp that ranges from Connecticut to Kansas in the north and Florida to Texas in the south."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/common-eastern-velvet-ant
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Common Eastern Velvet Ant

> Dasymutilla occidentalis — Insetos e aranhas. Dasymutilla occidentalis (red velvet ant, eastern velvet ant, cow ant or cow killer) is a species of parasitoid wasp that ranges from Connecticut to Kansas in the north and  Florida to Texas in the south.

- Scientific name: *Dasymutilla occidentalis*
- Category: `insects` (Insetos e aranhas)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 19652
- Wikidata: [Q5227023](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5227023)
- iNaturalist taxon: [117221](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/117221)

## Names

- en: Common Eastern Velvet Ant

## Countries with the most observations

US (17657)

## Summary

Dasymutilla occidentalis (red velvet ant, eastern velvet ant, cow ant or cow killer) is a species of parasitoid wasp that ranges from Connecticut to Kansas in the north and  Florida to Texas in the south. Adults are mostly seen in the summer months.
The eastern velvet ant is the largest of the velvet ant species in the eastern United States, attaining an approximate length of 1.9 cm (0.75 in). Adults display aposematic coloration, consisting of black overall coloring with an orange-red pattern on the dorsal surface of the thorax and abdomen.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasymutilla_occidentalis

## Photo

![Common Eastern Velvet Ant](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/common-eastern-velvet-ant/medium.jpg)

Photo: S Campbell · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65166103

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/common-eastern-velvet-ant?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).