Description Mutillidae
a female eastern velvet ant
as case aculeates, female mutillids capable of inflicting sting. stinger modified female organ called ovipositor; unusually long , maneuverable in mutillids. in both sexes, structure called stridulitrum on metasoma used produce squeaking or chirping sound when alarmed. both sexes of mutillids bear hair-lined grooves on side of metasoma called felt lines. 2 other vespoid families, (bradynobaenidae , chyphotidae) have felt lines, females of these families have distinctive pronotum. members of family myrmosidae, formerly classified subfamily of mutillids, have distinctive pronotum in females, lack felt lines in both sexes.
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