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This butterfly begins life as eggs laid on leaves of Gentiana cruciata plants. [5] The caterpillars hatch and feed upon the flowers and developing fruits of the plant. After feeding and growing for four instars, the caterpillars drop to the ground. [13] There, the caterpillar releases chemicals which mimic the larvae of Myrmica ants. If an ant ...
Myrtle's silverspot (Speyeria zerene myrtleae) is a medium-sized butterfly in the brush foot family (Nymphalidae), an endangered subspecies of the zerene fritillary.It is endemic to California, where it is known from only about four locations just north of the San Francisco Bay Area, including two at Point Reyes National Seashore.
The larvae emit surface chemicals that closely match those of ant larvae, causing the ants to carry the Alcon larvae into their nests and place them in their brood chambers. Once adopted into a nest, Alcon larvae are fed the regurgitations of nurse ants (just as other ant brood), a process called trophallaxis . [ 9 ]
Polygonia c-album, or the “comma”, is a food generalist (polyphagous) butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae.The angular notches on the edges of the forewings are characteristic of the genus Polygonia, which is why species in the genus are commonly referred to as anglewing butterflies.
The larvae – caterpillars – have a toughened (sclerotised) head capsule, chewing mouthparts, and a soft body, that may have hair-like or other projections, three pairs of true legs, and up to five pairs of prolegs. Most caterpillars are herbivores, but a few are carnivores (some eat ants, aphids, or other caterpillars) or detritivores. [2]
The larva is black with red tubercles and has a cream-coloured band or saddle in the middle of its body. A lateral photograph of the Queen Alexandra Birdwing Butterfly caterpillar. Larvae of this species feed on the shell from which they hatched and then start to extract nutrients from pipe vines of the genus Pararistolochia (family ...
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This gives the wasp the chance to search out the butterfly larvae and lay an egg in each one. Afterwards the ants continue to feed and look after the butterfly larvae which in due course pupate. The wasp eggs hatch and the wasp larvae feed on the butterfly larvae from the inside, eventually pupating inside the butterfly pupae. [3]