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Multi-trait mimicry of ants by a parasitoid wasp

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Malcicka, Miriama [VU University Amsterdam, Department of Ecological Sciences, Section Animal Ecology] Bezemer, T. Martijn [Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6700 EH ́ Wageningen] Visser, Bertanne [Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l’Insecte (IRBI) UMR 7261 CNRS/Universite François-Rabelais, Ecology of Multitrophic Systems Research Team, Functional Ecology group, Tours, France] Bloemberg, Mark [Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6700 EH ́ Wageningen] Snart, Charles J. P. [University of Nottingham, School of Pharmacy, Nottingham, U.K] Harvey, Jeffrey A. [VU University Amsterdam, Department of Ecological Sciences, Section Animal Ecology]

Many animals avoid attack from predators through toxicity or the emission of repellent chemicals. Defensive mimicry has evolved in many species to deceive shared predators, for instance through colouration and other morphological adaptations, but mimicry hardly ever seems to involve multi-trait similarities. Here we report on a wingless parasitoid wasp that exhibits a full spectrum of traits mimicing ants and affording protection against ground-dwelling predators (wolf spiders). In body size, morphology and movement Gelis agilis (Ichneumonidae) is highly similar to the black garden ant (Lasius niger) that shares the same habitat. When threatened, G. agilis also emits a volatile chemical that is similar to an ant-produced chemical that repels spiders. In bioassays with L. niger, G. agilis, G. areator, Cotesia glomerata and Drosophila melanogaster, ants and G. agilis were virtually immune to spider attack, in contrast the other species were not. Volatile characterisation with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified G. agilis emissions as 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, a known insect defence semiochemical that acts as an alarm pheromone in ants. We argue that multi-trait mimicry, as observed in G. agilis, might be much more common among animals than currently realized.

Document type Article de périodique (Journal article) – Article de recherche
Access type Accès libre
Publication date 2015
Language Anglais
Journal information "Scientific Reports" - Vol. 5, p. 1-6 (2015)
Peer reviewed yes
Publisher Nature Publishing Group (London)
issn 2045-2322
e-issn 2045-2322
Publication status Publié
Affiliation UCL - SST/ELI/ELIB - Biodiversity
Keywords Multidisciplinary
Links
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Bibliographic reference Malcicka, Miriama ; Bezemer, T. Martijn ; Visser, Bertanne ; Bloemberg, Mark ; Snart, Charles J. P. ; et. al. Multi-trait mimicry of ants by a parasitoid wasp. In: Scientific Reports, Vol. 5, p. 1-6 (2015)
Permanent URL http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/193043