The velvet ant is the first known ultra-black species of the order Hymenoptera, which includes over 150,000 species of ants, wasps, sawflies, and bees. It’s a rare coloring in the wild ...

Photograph By Piemags/nature / Alamy A recent study found that the ant’s black color is more complex than it appears. When light hits the exoskeleton, it gets scattered by the wasps’ hairs ...

The wasp species known as the "velvet ant" has a pattern of white and ultra-black coloration. © shrike2 via iNaturalist under CC BY-NC 4.0 The Caatinga is a stark ...

About the size of a board game die, one species of velvet ant is known for its distinct black and white markings, which dazzle the eye as the creatures scurry across tropical savanna and a dry ...

Invasive ant species are becoming a problem ... Ants range in size from the miniscule up to one inch long, and usually appear black, brown, red, or yellow. Ants look much like termites, and ...

These wasps are one of the darkest organisms in the world. Ultra-black isn’t just a matter of having a lot of melanin. Upon closer examination of the wasp’s exoskeleton, scientists found thin ...