Reaction of Ants to, and Feeding Biology of, a Congeneric Myrmecophilous and Non-myrmecophilous Ladybird

Coccinella magnifica Redtenbacher lives only in close contact with species of the Formica rufa group. Laboratory experiments were set up to determine how this species may be adapted to living with ants by comparing its behaviour with that of the closely related Coccinella septempunctata L. Eggs and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of insect behavior 2009-05, Vol.22 (3), p.173-185
Main Authors: Godeau, J.-F, Hemptinne, J.-L, Dixon, A. F. G, Verhaeghe, J.-C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Animal behavior
Animal Ecology
Animal ethology
ant aggressiveness
ant-tended aphids
Behavioral Sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Entomology
Evolutionary Biology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Insects
Larvae
Life Sciences
myrmecophily
Neurobiology
Predation
Predation efficiency
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
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Summary:Coccinella magnifica Redtenbacher lives only in close contact with species of the Formica rufa group. Laboratory experiments were set up to determine how this species may be adapted to living with ants by comparing its behaviour with that of the closely related Coccinella septempunctata L. Eggs and larvae of C. magnifica placed on the foraging trails of ants were bitten significantly less often by the ants than those of C. septempunctata. However, the ants responded similarly to the adults of both species. For these two species, the presence of ants resulted in a significant decrease in predation efficiency. However, C. magnifica was more efficient at catching aphids in the presence of ants than C. septempunctata. The behaviour of this myrmecophilous species is discussed by taking into account that it is a generalist in terms of prey specificity.
ISSN:0892-7553
1572-8889
DOI:10.1007/s10905-008-9163-y