Comparison of acoustical signals in Maculinea butterfly caterpillars and their obligate host Myrmica ants

An acoustical comparison between calls of parasitic butterfly caterpillars and their host ants is presented for the first time. Overall, caterpillar calls were found to be similar to ant calls, even though these organisms produce them by different means. However, a comparison of Maculinea caterpillars with those of Myrmica ants produced no evidence suggesting fine level convergence of caterpillar calls upon those of their species specific host ants. Factors mediating the species specific nature of the Maculinea-Myrmica system are discussed, and it is suggested that phylogenetic analysis is needed for future work.