Ecology & Evolution Research - Butterfly-Ant Symbiosis -
Chemical Ecology of Heliconius - Mimicry Diversity, Evolution
and Ecology of Ithomiine Communities - Sound production in
Heliconius butterflies - Night Roosting in Heliconius -
Speciation in Heliconius - Life-history Evolution of Hawkmoths -
Phylogenomics of Leaf-mining Moths Many of the 6,000 species of
the butterfly family Lycaenidae associate with ants. The
complexity and beauty of such interactions in the Malaysian
tropics attracted research on the subject. Lycaenid caterpillars
may have special organs that attract and appease ants and some
species cannot survive without them. For example, some lycaenid
caterpillars are taken by ants into the nest and allowed to eat
ant larvae in exchange for a sweet secretion from the
caterpillars. Some even evolve ant-like pheromones, so they pass
as ants instead of invaders. A Malaysian Blue caterpillar
(Anthene emolus) can develop into an adult without the help of
ants, but has a much greater risk of falling pre