Caterpillars Sound Like Queen Ants To Lure Prey

It is difficult to fool an ant into not knowing intruders from friends. Ants possess highly evolved senses to discern friend from foe. However, a type of social parasitic butterfly known as the Maculinea has a special adaptation at their disposal to survive ant attacks while still in the larval stage.

Ants, as a rule, enjoy eating caterpillars. Ants use a complex set of physiological traits to discern which caterpillars to eat. The ants use vibrations and chemical messaging emitted from caterpillars in order to decide if the caterpillar would make a decent meal.

The Maculinea caterpillar could be considered an exception among caterpillars in that it emits vibrations and chemicals that convince the ants to adopt the caterpillar into their own colonies. Once the caterpillar becomes a fixture in the ant colony, it proceeds to feed on all of the ants. Despite the complexity of this survival adaptation, it is a pretty lazy way for this caterpillar to procure food.

Can you think of any other insects that practice similar subterfuge in order to survive?