Life Sciences Commons^™

Comparison Of African And North American Velvet Ant Mimicry Complexes: Another Example Of Africa As The 'Odd Man Out', Joseph S. Wilson, Aaron D. Pan, Erica S. Limb, Kevin A. Williams

Biology Faculty Publications

Africa has the most tropical and subtropical land of any continent, yet has relatively low species richness in several taxa. This depauperate nature of the African tropical fauna and flora has led some to call Africa the “odd man out.” One exception to this pattern is velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae), wingless wasps that are known for Müllerian mimicry. While North American velvet ants form one of the world’s largest mimicry complexes, mimicry in African species has not been investigated. Here we ask do African velvet ant Müllerian mimicry rings exist, and how do they compare to the North American complex. …