The first record of the parasitic myrmecophilous caterpillar Liphyra brassolis (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) inside Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) nests in oil palm plantations

0560664 - BC 2023 RIV BG eng J - Journal Article
Advento, A. D. - Yusah, K. M. - Salim, H. - Naim, M. - Caliman, J.-P. - Fayle, Tom Maurice
The first record of the parasitic myrmecophilous caterpillar Liphyra brassolis (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) inside Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) nests in oil palm plantations.
Biodiversity Data Journal. Roč. 10, AUG 15 (2022), č. článku e83842. ISSN 1314-2836. E-ISSN 1314-2828
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA19-14620S
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : Formicidae * parasitism * biocontrol
OECD category: Entomology
Impact factor: 1.3, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/83842/download/pdf/

Asian weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) are an important biocontrol agent in agricultural habitats. We conducted surveys in oil palm plantations in Riau, Indonesia for an obligate myrmecophilous butterfly larvae, Liphyra brassolis (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), that is known to consume weaver ant larvae in other habitat types. We found L. brassolis larvae in five of the twenty nests surveyed, with larval presence not being related to weaver ant nest size. We also observed L. brassolis larvae in a weaver ant mass rearing facility. This is the first report of L. brassolis from oil palm plantations and may have implications for the use of weaver ants as biological control agents.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0339221