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<p>Predators impose strong selective pressures on herbivores, driving the evolution of strategies to evade predation. Among the most sophisticated are myrmecophilous interactions between ants and caterpillars, in which ants provide protection in exchange for nutritional rewards. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), the chemical cues underlying nestmate recognition in ants, have been proposed to mediate these interactions by modulating ant behaviour. However, most evidence comes from highly specialised obligate systems, and the chemical basis of signalling in facultative species engaged in diffuse mutualisms remains largely unexplored. Here, we studied the riodinid <i>Eurybia elvina</i>, a facultative myrmecophilous caterpillar associated with Marantaceae inflorescences, to test whether its CHCs delay the onset of ant aggression. We find that <i>E. elvina</i> employs a strategy of chemical conspicuousness, relying on distinctive CHCs that delay aggressive responses by ants. In behavioural assays, caterpillar dummies coated with CHC extracts from <i>E. elvina</i>, from a non-myrmecophilous caterpillar species, or with a solvent control were offered to <i>Ectatomma ruidum</i> ants. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses revealed that <i>E. elvina</i> CHCs are chemically distinct from those of tending ants and host plants, yet are sufficient to delay ant attacks. These results demonstrate that chemical conspicuousness mediated by CHCs can underlie tolerance in diffuse mutualisms, highlighting how semiochemicals mediate interspecific communication and contribute to the evolution of cooperation between distantly related organisms.</p>

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Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles delay ant aggression in a facultative myrmecophilous caterpillar

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月23日

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  • Amalia Victoria Ceballos-González,
  • Rafael Carvalho da Silva,
  • Luan Dias Lima,
  • Lucas Augusto Kaminski,
  • Callum Kingwell,
  • William T. Wcislo,
  • Sabrina Amador-Vargas

摘要

Predators impose strong selective pressures on herbivores, driving the evolution of strategies to evade predation. Among the most sophisticated are myrmecophilous interactions between ants and caterpillars, in which ants provide protection in exchange for nutritional rewards. Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs), the chemical cues underlying nestmate recognition in ants, have been proposed to mediate these interactions by modulating ant behaviour. However, most evidence comes from highly specialised obligate systems, and the chemical basis of signalling in facultative species engaged in diffuse mutualisms remains largely unexplored. Here, we studied the riodinid Eurybia elvina, a facultative myrmecophilous caterpillar associated with Marantaceae inflorescences, to test whether its CHCs delay the onset of ant aggression. We find that E. elvina employs a strategy of chemical conspicuousness, relying on distinctive CHCs that delay aggressive responses by ants. In behavioural assays, caterpillar dummies coated with CHC extracts from E. elvina, from a non-myrmecophilous caterpillar species, or with a solvent control were offered to Ectatomma ruidum ants. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses revealed that E. elvina CHCs are chemically distinct from those of tending ants and host plants, yet are sufficient to delay ant attacks. These results demonstrate that chemical conspicuousness mediated by CHCs can underlie tolerance in diffuse mutualisms, highlighting how semiochemicals mediate interspecific communication and contribute to the evolution of cooperation between distantly related organisms.