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Brief Communications
Nature 405, 35-36 (4 May 2000) | doi:10.1038/35011129
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Beetle larvae cooperate to mimic bees
John Hafernik1 & Leslie Saul-Gershenz1
Abstract
These parasites get into bees' nests by fooling males into trying to mate with them.
Abstract
The life cycles of parasites often involve complex behavioural and morphological adaptations in order to find a host. Here we report a remarkable mode of host-finding by the blister beetle Meloe franciscanus, in which young larvae aggregate together on vegetation to mimic the appearance of a female bee, luring male bees to land on them and collect the aggregation as a unit for transmitting to females during real matings. Although cooperative behaviour is common among highly social insects, particularly bees1, 2, 3, to our knowledge it has not been reported before in blister beetles, nor has it been associated with mimicry.
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