Host plant preference in the protected myrmecophilous Transylvanian Blue (Pseudophilotes bavius hungarica) butterfly (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) and its relationship with potential ant partners
| Autor: | László Rákosy, Enikő Német, Zsolt Czekes, Bálint Markó |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Mutualism (biology) Ecology biology Host (biology) Lasius fungi Lycaenidae food and beverages biology.organism_classification 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Tapinoma Myrmecophily 010602 entomology Animal ecology Insect Science Animal Science and Zoology Caterpillar Nature and Landscape Conservation |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Insect Conservation. 20:765-772 |
| ISSN: | 1572-9753 1366-638X |
| Popis: | When selecting specific host plants, caterpillars of many lycaenid butterflies, such as the protected Pseudophilotes bavius hungarica, are known to engage in various interactions with ants, which help them survive. Although P. bavius is a protected species, data about its host plant selection is very scarce, and little information is available on its myrmecophilous relationships. Our aim was to identify the host plant characteristics that determine the occurrence of the caterpillar and to clarify the specificity of its myrmecophily. We conducted a series of field surveys regarding host plant characteristics. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the nature of interactions between the caterpillar and its potential ant partners. Control experiments involving non-visiting ants were also performed. On the basis of our findings, the physical characteristics of host plants do not seem to influence host plant choice, but the absence of aphids and the presence of different ant species proved important. According to the results of behavioural assays, neutral reactions to the caterpillars were recorded in the case of ant species that regularly visited the host plant (Lasius paralienus, Camponotus aethiops), in contrast to Tapinoma subboreale, which was not observed at all on the host plants and which behaved aggressively towards the larvae. Therefore, the caterpillar is expected to show a certain ant host selectivity. The study constitutes an essential contribution to our knowledge of the natural history of a protected butterfly species, which can be used as a basis for more appropriate management strategies, while also shedding light on aspects of myrmecophilous relationships in Lycaenidae in general. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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