Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 5 December 1980:
Vol. 210. no. 4474, pp. 1147 - 1148
DOI: 10.1126/science.210.4474.1147
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Antbutterflies: Butterflies That Follow Army Ants to Feed on Antbird Droppings

THOMAS S. RAY 1 and CATHERINE C. ANDREWS 2

1 Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
2 Route 2, Box 25, Donalsonville, Georgia 31745

Females of three species of tropical rain forest ithomiine butterflies orient to swarms of army ants (Eciton burchelli) and feed on bird droppings found there. The antbirds associated with swarm raids of these ants provide a predictable source of droppings, an otherwise sparsely distributed resource.

Submitted on May 28, 1980
Revised on September 4, 1980

To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)