{"id":3181,"date":"2014-10-31T07:39:12","date_gmt":"2014-10-31T11:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/?p=3181"},"modified":"2024-05-02T15:17:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T19:17:53","slug":"whats-in-a-name-halloween-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/currents\/2014\/10\/whats-in-a-name-halloween-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s In a Name: Halloween Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cow

Cow killer. Illustration by Charlotte Ingram.<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s that time of year for ghosts, bats and other ominous ghouls. Here’s another creepy crawly to add to the list.<\/p>\n

Meet the cow killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis<\/em>. (Cue scary music.)<\/p>\n

Also called the velvet ant, this masquerader is actually a wingless wasp found in coastal North Carolina. Sounds like this bug wants to win the scariest costume award this year!<\/p>\n

Colored bright red and black, its appearance screams warning to any observer. And it is quite the guest from hell too.<\/p>\n

According to North Carolina\u2019s Amazing Coast: Natural Wonders from Alligators to Zoeas<\/em>, “The female deposits her eggs in the hive of another species, and her larvae feed off those of the resident \u2014 quite a presumption on the hospitality of strangers! Only the female is capable of stinging, but with a name like ‘cow killer,’ well, let’s just say humans should definitely stay out of her way!”<\/p>\n

Learn more about the cow killer, and other local creatures, in North Carolina\u2019s Amazing Coast: Natural Wonders from Alligators to Zoeas<\/em>. To get a copy from North Carolina Sea Grant, contact Sandra Harris at sandra_harris@ncsu.edu<\/a> or 919-515-9101.<\/p>\n

Happy Halloween!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meet the cow killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis<\/em>. Also called the velvet ant, this masquerader is actually a wingless wasp found in coastal North Carolina. Learn more, courtesy North Carolina\u2019s Amazing Coast: Natural Wonders from Alligators to Zoeas<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[690,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-currents","category-education"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat's In a Name: Halloween Edition - Coastwatch Currents<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/currents\/2014\/10\/whats-in-a-name-halloween-edition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What's In a Name: Halloween Edition - Coastwatch Currents\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meet the cow killer, Dasymutilla occidentalis. 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