Butterflies and Ants

Butterflies and Ants

Association between butterflies and ants is mutually beneficial . Butterflies give sweet sweet fluid to the ants and the ants in turn protect them natural enemies . Larvae of many species of Lycaenidae have honey gland on the seventh abdominal segment , mostly visible in the grown up larvae, which exudes small droplets of honey gland by touching it with its legs or antennae . In return , ants deter the natural enemies of the butterfly larvae. The ants never harm these larvae . In some cases , larvae are wholly dependent on ants for their development and in a few cases , larvae are wholly dependent on ants for their development and in a few cases , larvae are wholly dependent on ants for their development on ants for their development and in a few cases , larvae are parasitic upon ants . The caterpillars of the Indo – Australian lycaenidae , Liphyra brassolis live in nests of the arboreal ant Oecophylla smaragdina and devour its larvae . They are protected from host attack by the odour of the nest, with which they are impregnated and by their extremely smooth integument . Besides Lycaenidae , larvae of a few species of Pieridae obtain protection from the ant. Instead of honey gland , these larvae in their early stages , possess long glandular setae from which the sweet fluid is exuded . It is held as a droplet by a fork at the top of the seta and ants are attracted by it.

Courtship