TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) announced Thursday (Dec. 12) their research teams have discovered a communication mechanism between ants and butterflies.
With help from Japanese and Belgian scholars, Taiwanese researchers Hsu Yu-feng (徐堉峰), Lin Yueh-hsien (林岳賢), Yang Man-miao (楊曼妙), and Liao Yi-chang (廖一璋) were able to solve the longstanding scientific puzzle. The results of their studies were published Dec. 6 in the international publication, "Scientific Reports."
Since butterflies often co-opt ants into becoming free childcare givers by making them believe caterpillars are their offspring, the research team wanted to gain a better insight into the butterflies' biological secrets. By using Spindasis syama butterfly and its host ant Crematogaster rogenhoferi, both commonly found in Taiwan, researchers found the two species communicate through vibrational signals.
According to the findings, larvae of Southeast Asian butterflies are capable of producing three types of vibrational calls that mimic a queen ant. The research also pointed out the frequency of the signals emitted by insects cannot be detected by human ears, reported Liberty Times.
Taiwanese researchers Yang Man-miao (left) and Hsu Yu-feng (NTNU photo)
