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. 1981 Mar 13;211(4487):1185-7.
doi: 10.1126/science.211.4487.1185.

Parasitoids as selective agents in the symbiosis between lycaenid butterfly larvae and ants

N E Pierce, P S Mead

Parasitoids as selective agents in the symbiosis between lycaenid butterfly larvae and ants

N E Pierce et al. Science. .

Abstract

The larvae of Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) secrete substances that attract ants. In two field sites in Colorado, tending ants protect caterpillars of G. lygdamus from attack by braconid and tachinid parasitoids. This protection may have been an important feature in the evolution of the association between lycaenid larvae and ants.

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