Species-Specificity of the Phengaris (Maculinea) – Myrmica Host System: Fact or myth? (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae; Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

0089634 - ÚVGZ 2008 RIV CH eng J - Journal Article
Pech, P. - Fric, Zdeněk - Konvička, M.
Species-Specificity of the Phengaris (Maculinea) – Myrmica Host System: Fact or myth? (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae; Hymenoptera: Formicidae).
[Druhová specificita mezi rodem Phengaris (Maculinea) a hostitelským rodem Myrmica: Skutečnost nebo mýtus.]
Sociobiology. Roč. 50, č. 3 (2007), s. 983-1004. ISSN 0361-6525
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520
Keywords : Lycaenidae * Formicidae * conservation * ecology * myrmecophily * parasitism
Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour
Impact factor: 0.557, year: 2007

Phengaris butterflies, which is the valid name for Maculinea van Eecke, 1915, display an intricate parasitic relationship with Myrmica ants. The relationship was long believed to be non-specific, so that each Phengaris could develop in many Myrmica species, but since an influential paper by Thomas et al. (1989), there was a shift towards viewing it as a specific system. We review existing information to assess two currently prevailing hypotheses, the species-specificity hypothesis (each Phengaris utilises a single primary host), and local specificity hypothesis (the specificity exists on a finer, population-level basis).

Článek se zabývá hodnocením míry hostitelské specializace modrásků rodu Phengaris na mravence rodu Myrmica.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0150782