Predator-prey encounters: deciphering the robbery relationship between highwayman flies and their ant victims

doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12732

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	Predator-prey encounters: deciphering the robbery relationship between highwayman flies and their ant victims
	Zhao,Ying; Yu,Yulong; Chen,Zhi; LI,Ying; Teng,Huidan; Chomicki,Guillaume; Zhang,Chuntian; Chen,Gao
	2023
发表期刊	INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY
ISSN	1749-4869
摘要	Examples of predator-prey interactions in which flies rob ants are uncommon. To date, this behavior has only been recorded in the genus Bengalia Robineau-Desvoidy (Bengaliinae, Diptera, Calliphoridae). These predatory flies ambush ants, and rob them of the food or offspring that they are carrying. However, because of the rarity of this behavior, the reasons and consequences (evolutionary advantages) are unknown, and indeed, the behavior has been sometimes considered anecdotal. In this study, we employed field investigations and behavioral analyses to investigate whether the sex of the fly Bengalia varicolor, or the weight and quality of the food carried by Pheidole nodus ants influenced fly-ant interactions in their natural habitats. We show that food weight and quality influenced the behavior of B. varicolor independent of the fly's sex. Robbing behavior by the flies was more successful when the food robbed was of high-quality and light in weight. Furthermore, the weight of the food robbed modulated the escape distance the flies could carry it. This then may affect the food quality and weight transported by the ants. This is a novel example of deciphering the relationship between highwayman flies and their ant victims. Given the widespread distribution of Bengalia flies, we suggest that such interspecific predator-prey encounters may shape the robbery interactions and the carrying behavior of further ant species in nature.
关键词	Bengalia kleptoparasitism Pheidole predatory flies robbing KLEPTOPARASITISM AVAILABILITY FOOD FLY
学科领域	Zoology
DOI	10.1111/1749-4877.12732
收录类别	SCI
WOS记录号	WOS:000994706900001
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://ir.kib.ac.cn/handle/151853/75269
专题	中国科学院昆明植物研究所
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Zhao,Ying,Yu,Yulong,Chen,Zhi,et al. Predator-prey encounters: deciphering the robbery relationship between highwayman flies and their ant victims[J]. INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY,2023.
APA	Zhao,Ying.,Yu,Yulong.,Chen,Zhi.,LI,Ying.,Teng,Huidan.,...&Chen,Gao.(2023).Predator-prey encounters: deciphering the robbery relationship between highwayman flies and their ant victims.INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY.
MLA	Zhao,Ying,et al."Predator-prey encounters: deciphering the robbery relationship between highwayman flies and their ant victims".INTEGRATIVE ZOOLOGY (2023).

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