It has ultra-dark markings that reflect less than 1 percent of visible light. There are about 8000 velvet ant species in the wasp family Mutillidae, named after their resemblance to large hairy ants.

What Is a Black Fire Ant? The scientific name for the black fire ant is Solenopsis richteri. They’re members of the Formicidae family, which contains most ant species.

This makes the velvet ant’s color what scientists call “ultrablack” or “superblack”. Traditional black colorations reflect around five to ten percent of the light that hits it, says ...