Our treasure of the month: More than just bribing with sweets

© Marianne Espeland

Our Treasure of the Month in December: The Ant Blue, © Marianne Espeland

 

Our treasure of the month belongs to a group of butterflies that have a particularly interesting interaction with ants. The caterpillars of the butterflies produce a secretion rich in sugar and amino acids, which the ants love as food. In return for providing nutrients, the ants protect the caterpillars against predators and parasites. The caterpillars of the African Ant Blue Lepidochrysops hypoleucus, like the European genus Maculinea, live most of the time in ant nests of ant brood.

But the one butterfly in the collection or even from the field is only one piece of the scientific puzzle that researchers at LIB are putting together. For example, by studying individuals of many related butterfly groups – for example subfamilies – completely new insights can be gained. Together with genetic studies could be shown that the traditional blue butterflies (subfamily Polyommatinae) are located within Theclinae, a subfamily often referred to as hairstreaks, with some species instead known as elfins or by other names. The old classification of the blue butterflies within the family, based on morphology, is being completely revised.

Contact
Dr. Marianne Espeland
Section Head, Custodian Lepidoptera
Leibniz Institute for Biodiversity Change Analysis
Tel: +49 (0)228 9122 220
E-Mail: m.espeland@leibniz-zfmk.de

RELATED ARTICLE

  • LIB, Research, Treasure of the month

    Our Treasure of the Month: The Larva of the Antlion

    Before it spends just a few days in its adult form flying around to mate, it lives about two years in its larval stage – commonly known as the Antlion. What makes this treasure so valuable to our researchers is the unique structure of its jaws, which they have closely examined in a recent study.

    Learn more
  • Collection, LIB, Treasure of the month

    Treasure of the Month: The Greater Adjutant

    A large bird that became a big surprise for our taxidermists and bird experts. The Greater Adjutant is our treasure this month, which we present from our scientific collections. It was not initially clear that it was this rare bird…

    Learn more
  • Collection, Treasure of the month

    Treasure of the Month – Worm Wishes for the Holidays

    As bright lights, colorful decorations, and holiday markets appear all around us, we at the LIB are celebrating some of the festive specimens in our Annelida collections.

    Learn more