Evolutionary Perspectives on Myrmecophily in Ladybirds

Abstract

Myrmecophiles are species that usually have developed specialized traits to cope with the aggressiveness of ants enabling them to live in their vicinity. Many coccinellid species are predators of Hemiptera; the latter is also often protected by ants. Therefore these ladybirds frequently interact with ants, and some species have become myrmecophilous. In this paper, we aim to provide an overview of the evolution of myrmecophilous traits in ladybirds. We then discuss the costs and benefits of myrmecophily and the dietary shift to myrmecophagy observed in a few species.

Oviposition Site Selection Structures Niche Partitioning Among Coccinellid Species in a Tropical Ecosystem

“…Aphids frequently occurred on the same plants where we found lady beetles, which highlights the importance of food resources in determining the distribution of these lady beetle populations, reinforcing the pattern also found in other studies (Valério et al 2007, Caballero-López et al 2012, Hodek et al 2012, Vantaux et al 2012.…”

“…Lady beetles are predators that can naturally control populations of aphids and other insects that are considered agricultural pests of crops in different regions of the world (Obrycki & Kring 1998, Valério et al 2007, Caballero-López et al 2012, Vantaux et al 2012. Various species from the Coccinellinae subfamily use aphids as an essential resource during adult and larval stages, although they also feed on pollen, nectar, and honeydew as alternative food sources (Pemberton & Vandenberg 1993, Evans et al 1999, Michaud 2000, van Emden & Harrington 2007, Giorgi et al 2009.…”

Testing the applicability of regional IUCN Red List criteria on ladybirds (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) in Flanders (north Belgium): opportunities for conservation

“…Phalaris arundinacea L., Glyceria maxima Holmberg and Arrhenatherum elatius L.) as well as in drier vegetation where it was found feeding on Calamagrostis epigejos Roth and Holcus mollis L. The species is wingless (Kuznetsov, ) and its limited dispersal capacity might explain its regional rarity. Examples of specialist myrmecophilous species are the obligate Coccinella magnifica Redtenbacher 1843, Platynaspis luteorubra ( Goeze 1777) and the facultative myrmecophilous ladybird species Myzia oblongoguttata L.. Myrmecophily is often linked with behavioural, defensive or physical traits (Sloggett et al ., ; Sloggett & Majerus, ; Vantaux et al ., ). The myrmecophily of these species, categorised as VU, certainly adds to the complexity of ecosystems (cf.…”

A new species of myrmecophilous lady beetle in the genus Diomus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Diomini) from Chiapas, Mexico that feeds on green coffee scale, Coccus viridis (Green) (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

“…With few exceptions, ants are able to recognize lady beetle intruders (both adults and immature stages) and readily exclude them from the colonies that they tend (Majerus et al 2007). Those exceptional lady beetle species that have adapted to cope with or defuse ant aggression through behavioral, physical, and chemical characteristics are referred to as myrmecophiles (=ant-lovers) and may actually benefit from the exclusion of competing predators (Sloggett et al 1998;Völkl 1995) and the greater abundance or concentration of prey resulting from the ants' presence (Liere et al 2012;Vantaux et al 2010Vantaux et al , 2012.…”