Velvet Ants of North America

by by Dr. Kevin Williams, Dr. Aaron D. Pan, and Joseph S. Wilson, 2024. Paperback, 440 pages.

An authoritative, marvelously illustrated field guide to the velvet ants of North America

Velvet Ants of North America is a beautiful photographic guide to the species of the wasp family Mutillidae found in the United States and Canada. Featuring hundreds of full-color photos, it covers nearly 460 species—representing more than 9 percent of all velvet ant species, which number in the thousands worldwide—providing comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of this spectacular group of insects. This one-of-a-kind guide serves as an invaluable reference for naturalists, scientific researchers, museum specialists, and outdoor enthusiasts.

• Covers nearly 460 species found in North America and throughout the world
• Features stunning high-resolution photos of each species
• Detailed species accounts and keys allow for easy and rewarding identification
• Sheds invaluable light on taxa from Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, and beyond
• Provides silhouette images depicting the actual size ranges of species
• Includes distribution maps of nearly all diurnal species in the United States and Canada

About the Author

Kevin A. Williams is an insect pest identifier for the California Department of Food and Agriculture and a leading authority on velvet ants. Aaron D. Pan is executive director of the Museum of Texas Tech University. His research interests range from mimicry within velvet ants to the evolution of prehistoric African forests. Joseph S. Wilson is associate professor of biology at Utah State University and an expert on the evolution and ecology of bees and wasps.