Oviposition by the Mountain Alcon Blue butterfly increases with host plant flower number and host ant abundance

Carleial, Samuel; Maurel, Noëlie; Kleunen, Mark van; Stift, Marc

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2018.02.008

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…2008; Carleial et al . 2018). However, while Dunn and Kitching (1994) reported high and sometimes extreme abundance of A. inclinata in many of the areas they surveyed, this was not observed at Queensland and New South Wales sites visited in September 2019 following 5 years of severe regional drought (Queensland Government 2019) nor at New South Wales sites visited February 2021 after moderate rain.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anonychomyrma inclinata sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): description, biology and interaction with the endangered bulloak jewel butterfly, Hypochrysops piceatus Kerr, Macqueen & Sands, 1969 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Lewis

Sands

2021

Austral Entomology

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The ant Anonychomyrma inclinata sp. nov. is described. It is an arboreal species, nesting in hollows of living mature trees including Allocasuarina luehmannii, Angophora leiocarpa and various Eucalyptus species. Anonychomyrma inclinata can form colonies which are among the most populous recorded for an ant species in Australia, with over 10 000 workers and a total population of 170 000, including all castes. The ant forms extensive trails, forages for insects, collects nectar from a range of flowering plants including many mistletoes and collects honeydew from Hemiptera. The ant's distribution extends from northern inland New South Wales and south central inland Queensland, as far north‐east as Home Hill, on the Burdekin River. The ant is an obligate attendant of the immature stages of the endangered bulloak jewel butterfly, Hypochrysops piceatus Kerr, Macqueen & Sands, 1969, and the southern population of the sapphire azure, Ogyris aenone Waterhouse, 1902. The distribution of A. inclinata is much wider than that currently known for H. piceatus, suggesting that suitable breeding sites may exist for this rare butterfly in areas not previously surveyed. While A. inclinata appears relatively widespread and is able to utilise a wide range of tree species, it is reliant, like H. piceatus, on mature live trees and so is subject to threats including vegetation clearance, timber‐getting, grazing, and increased drought and fire frequency. Due to its critical importance in the life cycle of H. piceatus, any action taken to conserve the butterfly must also consider the importance of preserving healthy populations of A. inclinata.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anonychomyrma inclinata sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): description, biology and interaction with the endangered bulloak jewel butterfly, Hypochrysops piceatus Kerr, Macqueen & Sands, 1969 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Lewis

Sands

2021

Austral Entomology

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“…Wynhoff et al (2015) found that the selection of the LHP by Maculinea alcon is not influenced by the host ant presence, but the number of eggs laid (egg load) increased on plants growing close to a Myrmica nest. In M. rebeli, a M. alcon close-related species, both the egg-laying probability and the egg loads on Gentiana asclepiadea are affected by the abundance of the host ant, M. scabrinodis (Carleial et al, 2018). The oviposition pattern observed is not a mere consequence of the positive effect of plant traits, such as flower numbers (also selected by the gravid females for egg laying), on Myrmica scabrinodis distribution.…”

Section: Signals Used During Butterfly Ovipositionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The oviposition pattern observed is not a mere consequence of the positive effect of plant traits, such as flower numbers (also selected by the gravid females for egg laying), on Myrmica scabrinodis distribution. Authors highlighted that both the plant features and the host ant presence have direct, distinct, and positive effects on oviposition choices, which cannot be considered as a spurious outcome of niche selection (Carleial et al, 2018). The majority of earlier studies on oviposition choices did not account for the contribution of all Myrmica species occurring in the surrounding of LHPs but focused on the local host ant distribution.…”

Section: Signals Used During Butterfly Ovipositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal Signaling in Myrmecophilous Butterflies

2019

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Ant nests and their surrounding territories represent a hoard of trophic resources, as well as of stable and protected environments for many arthropods involved in commensal, mutualistic, or parasitic associations. Among these organisms, called myrmecophiles, several are butterflies. Here, we explore the amazing diversity of strategies developed by myrmecophilous butterflies to "cheat" or manipulate ants and to elude the tough defenses of the colony. During oviposition, female butterflies use visual or plant volatile signals to identify the presence of ants, whereas chemical and vibroacoustic cues, either isolated or combined, are used by larvae and pupae to attract, deceive, or appease workers. Examples of mimicry and eavesdropping on both intraspecific and interspecific signals are discussed, primarily referring to the obligate-parasitic interactions involving Maculinea butterflies and Myrmica ants. Multimodal communication is crucial to maintaining the strong cohesion and social structure of ant societies, but its corruption is at the base of the evolution and persistence of interspecific associations, which can be beneficial or detrimental for the colony's fitness. In this framework, the remarkable complexity of signaling could have prompted the evolution of specialized life cycles enhancing the extraordinary butterfly diversity.

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“…Papilio machaon : Wiklund 1974). In particular, for species whose caterpillars are weakly mobile or immobile, females should preferentially oviposit on host plants that provide an adequate resource of high-quality food prior to pupation (Carleial et al 2018). Other requirements of a species, including the species' interactions with the environment should also be met for successful completion of a life cycle (Dennis 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oviposition Preferences of the Alcon Large Blue Phengaris alcon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) at a Seasonal Lake in Southwestern Slovenia

Jugovic,

Kostadinovski,

Kopač

2023

Polish Journal of Ecology

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Oviposition by the Mountain Alcon Blue butterfly increases with host plant flower number and host ant abundance

Cited by 7 publications

References 33 publications

Anonychomyrma inclinata sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): description, biology and interaction with the endangered bulloak jewel butterfly, Hypochrysops piceatus Kerr, Macqueen & Sands, 1969 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Anonychomyrma inclinata sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): description, biology and interaction with the endangered bulloak jewel butterfly, Hypochrysops piceatus Kerr, Macqueen & Sands, 1969 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Multimodal Signaling in Myrmecophilous Butterflies

Oviposition Preferences of the Alcon Large Blue Phengaris alcon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) at a Seasonal Lake in Southwestern Slovenia

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