Cocoon Mimicry and Predation by Myrmecophilous Diptera (Diptera: Syrphidae)
Abstract
Three species of myrmecophilous Microdon (Diptera: Syrphidae) M. albicomatus Novak, M. cothurnatus Bigot, and M. Piperi Knab, exhibit aggressive mimicry as immatures. In nests of their host ants (species of Camponotus and Formica), the 1st and 2nd larval instars resemble the ant cocoons upon which they prey and are transported with the cocoons by workers. Immatures are not attacked by their host ants and appear to possess chemical as well as physical attributes providing integration with their host.Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.
