The first record of the parasitic myrmecophilous caterpillar Liphyra brassolis (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) inside Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) nests in oil palm plantations

Abstract

Asian weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) are an important biocontrol agent in agricultural habitats. We conducted surveys in oil palm plantations in Riau, Indonesia for an obligate myrmecophilous butterfly larvae, Liphyra brassolis (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae), that is known to consume weaver ant larvae in other habitat types. We found L. brassolis larvae in five of the twenty nests surveyed, with larval presence not being related to weaver ant nest size. We also observed L. brassolis larvae in a weaver ant mass rearing facility. This is the first report of L. brassolis from oil palm plantations and may have implications for the use of weaver ants as biological control agents.

Keywords

• Formicidae
• parasitism
• biocontrol
• bagworm
• Riau