It can be recognized by its distinctive coloring, black with bright red on the upper side of the head, thorax, and abdomen.

[9] Both sexes make a squeaking noise (stridulation) to warn potential predators (another form of aposematism in females, and automimicry in males).

[9] When stridulating, velvet ants rub their abdominal segments together in a rapid fashion.

Once the mating process is finished, the female begins looking for eggs and larvae of host species.

[12] After mating, females seek out the brood cells of Eastern cicada killers and horse guard wasps as well as other large ground-nesting members of Crabronidae, where they sneak into the nest and deposit an egg onto a host larva.

The egg quickly hatches into a white, legless grub, which consumes the host larva and goes through several larval stages prior to pupation.