First Record of Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) from Jammu District, Jammu & Kashmir, India and their ecological significance.

Abstract

The family Mutillidae (velvet ants) is a diverse group of aculeate wasps that remains poorly documented in the north-western Himalayan region. Field surveys were conducted from August 2025 to July 2026 in selected urban and peri-urban areas of Jammu District, Jammu & Kashmir. Specimens encountered in the study areas were photographed and identified using external morphological characters and relevant taxonomic literature. The current study documented five taxa of the family Mutillidae from urban and peri-urban areas of Jammu District, comprising Radoszkowskitilla ceylonica, Smicromyrme sp., Nemka sp., and two unidentified black velvet ant taxa, designated as Mutillidae taxa 1 and Mutillidae taxa 2 as a new record from the study area. The study contributes to baseline knowledge of Mutillidae in the region and highlights the importance of systematic surveys for documenting urban insect diversity.