The ant-associations and diet of the ladybird Coccinella magnifica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Sloggett, John J.; Majerus, E.N.; Voelkl, W.; Schulze, Wolfram; Schulenburg, J. Hinrich Graf von der

doi:10.14411/eje.2002.075

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 12 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…Indeed, during prey shortages, the limited availability of untended colonies might have forced ladybirds to prey on ant-tended colonies, opening the path to developing a tolerance towards ant aggressiveness. However, the myrmecophily of C. magnifica ladybirds has not been observed throughout its European habitat, suggesting that Thalassa saginata Dolichoderus bidens Unknown Ant mimicry [32] myrmecophily might be facultative or limited to some populations [45]. Concerning oviposition, two strategies have been observed.…”

Section: Behavioural Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Perspectives on Myrmecophily in Ladybirds

Vantaux

Roux²,

Magro

et al. 2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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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.

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Section: Behavioural Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary Perspectives on Myrmecophily in Ladybirds

Vantaux

Roux²,

Magro

et al. 2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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“…Some habitat-specific coccinellids still consume a relatively high diversity of prey. For example, Coccinella magnifica, which is restricted to the vicinity of Formica rufa ant colonies in Britain, consumes a wide diversity of aphid prey in its specialized habitat (Sloggett et al, 2002): thus in my dichotomy C. magnifica is considered a generalist. Species sizes were obtained as body lengths from Iablokoff-Khnzorian (1982): as a range of sizes are given for each species I used the median value for each size range.…”

Section: A Test Of the Body Size-dietary Breadth Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Weighty matters: Body size, diet and specialization in aphidophagous ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Sloggett¹

2008

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Aphidophagous ladybirds exhibit a broad range of body sizes. Until now this has been thought to be a function of the different prey densities that they feed at, with smaller ladybirds feeding at lower prey densities. The size of the prey species they feed on has been considered to have no relationship with ladybird body size. However, these arguments possess a limited capacity to explain observed data from the field. I here demonstrate a more realistic, complex approach incorporating both prey density and the size of prey species. Small ladybirds can feed on small aphids at both low and high densities. However when the aphid species is large they cannot catch the older, bigger, more energy-rich aphid instars due to their small size. They are thus unable to feed on large aphid prey at low densities, although at higher densities numbers of the smaller instars may be sufficient to sustain them. By contrast large ladybirds can feed on large aphids at both low and high densities due to their superior ability to catch the bigger, more energyrich older aphids; however they cannot be sustained by low densities of small aphids due to food limitation consequent on their large size. This more complex association between ladybird size, prey size and prey density possesses a better explanatory power for earlier field data. Because of this relationship, ladybird body size also provides an important trade-off determining dietary breadth and specialization in the aphidophagous Coccinellidae. Dietary specialists more closely match the size of their limited prey species, have higher overall capture efficiencies and can thus continue to reproduce at lower aphid densities for longer. By contrast dietary generalists adopt a one-size-fits-all strategy, are medium-sized and have lower capture efficiencies of individual prey species, thus requiring higher aphid densities. The role of body-size in dietary specialization is supported by data from the British fauna. Rather than trade-offs related to prey chemistry, which have hitherto been the centre of attention, body size trade-offs are the likely most important universal factor underlying dietary specialization in aphidophagous coccinellids.

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“…Schulenburg & J.J. Sloggett, unpub. data) and are ecol ogically similar in a number of respects (Sloggett et al, , 2002. However C. septempunctata is not a myrmecophile, although the adults of this species will sometimes visit colonies of ant-tended aphids when prey is scarce in late summer (Sloggett & Majerus, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Arnold et al (unpublished, see Majerus, 1994, p. 151) have observed that C. magnifica larvae placed on colonies of Aphis fabae Scopoli tended by the ant Lasius niger (L.) are attacked by the ants, but the larvae ignore these attacks, continuing to feed and behave normally. Coccinella magnifica is not associated with L. niger naturally (Sloggett et al, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Adaptations of Coccinella magnifica, a myrmecophilous coccinellid to aggression by wood ants (Formica rufa group). II. Larval behaviour, and ladybird oviposition location1

Sloggett¹,

Majerus²

2003

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. Like adults, larvae of the myrmecophilous ladybird Coccinella magnifica are rarely attacked by Formica rufa ants on for aging trails, but more often attacked on ant-tended aphid colonies. Larvae of the non-myrmecophile Coccinella septempunctata, to which C. magnifica was compared, were more readily attacked by ants in both situations. To avoid or counter ant aggression when foraging for aphids, C. magnifica larvae exhibit three main tactics: they may feed on un-or non-tended aphids; when feeding on tended colonies they often carry prey away, minimising time spent there; and if attacked, they use limited chemical defence. No novel behaviours were found in C. magnifica larvae, not occurring to some extent in C. septempunctata. Coccinella magnifica eggs were laid distant to ant-tended aphids, although closer to un-or non-tended aphids.

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The ant-associations and diet of the ladybird Coccinella magnifica (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Cited by 18 publications

References 12 publications

Evolutionary Perspectives on Myrmecophily in Ladybirds

Evolutionary Perspectives on Myrmecophily in Ladybirds

Weighty matters: Body size, diet and specialization in aphidophagous ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Adaptations of Coccinella magnifica, a myrmecophilous coccinellid to aggression by wood ants (Formica rufa group). II. Larval behaviour, and ladybird oviposition location1

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