Comparison of GC-FID Profiles of Iridomyrmex Ant Volatiles and GC-EAD Responses of a Myrmecophilous Butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Abstract

Jalmenus evagoras is an Australian-native butterfly. This myrmecophilous (ant-associated) species of butterfly interacts with a host ant in a mutualistic relationship (Figure 1). The interaction is chemically based in which the ant emits volatiles that the butterfly uses as olfactory cues. A species is defined as a group of organisms whose members possess similar anatomical characteristics and are able to interbreed (Campbell & Reece 2005). Speciation is the term given when this anatomical separation occurs. Speciation can take place when one species is reproductively isolated from another species. In this symbiotic relationship, the ant provides protection to the larvae and the ant receives nutrients that are secreted from the hind section of the larvae.