Maculinea rebeli

An example from ants is the acceptance of the caterpillar of the parasitic butterfly Maculinea rebeli by its host Myrmica schencki [132]. The caterpillar chemically mimics ant larvae and, in its final instar, drops from its food plant and waits for a foraging ant worker to bring it to the brood chambers of the host colony [133]. 

This association is best understood by following this particular butterfly s development. This species (Maculinea rebeli) is one of several closely related European butterflies known collectively as large blues. It is one of the world s most specialized creatures,... 

Akino T., Knapp J. J., Thomas J. A. and Elmes G. W. (1999) Chemical mimicry and host specificity in the butterfly Maculinea rebeli, a social parasite of Myrmica ant colonies. Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. B, 266, 1419-1426. 

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