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ZooNooz Article - march 2004
Ant-thropomorphising nature
Story by Warrick Angus
Photograph Jeff Grant
As the larvae emerge from the eggs they are not greeted by their parent butterfly but instead by a doting meat ant ready to love and protect the larvae until they pupate into a beautiful butterfly.
Did you know that meat ants farm butterflies just like a shepherd herds and protects his flock?
Meat ants can be found in colonies of hundreds of
thousands and, as the name suggests, they have an
appetite for meat. However, one insect they do not eat is
the small larvae of a particularly cute butterfly - the
Stencilled Hairstreak.
Butterfly |
You might have seen these small butterflies in your
backyard or while bushwalking in Sydney. If you see one
perched on an acacia tree, look to see if there are any
meat ants on the branches. The adult butterflies only lay
their eggs on acacia trees where meat ants are present. As
soon as the butterfly has laid a series of eggs, the meat
ants quickly locate the batch and stand guard.
As the larvae emerge from the eggs they are not
greeted by their parent butterfly but instead by a doting
meat ant ready to love and protect the larvae until they
pupate into a beautiful butterfly.
So why do these ants and butterflies have such a
peculiar life history? It's because the larvae use the ants
for protection whilst the ants feed on nectar produced by
the larvae. Isn't nature amazing!
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