Data from: Dead Ant Walking: A myrmecophilous beetle predator uses parasitoid host location cues to selectively prey on parasitized ants

Myrmecophiles (i.e. organisms that associate with ants) use a variety of ecological niches and employ different strategies to survive encounters with ants. Because ants are typically excellent defenders, myrmecophiles may choose moments of weakness to take advantage of their ant associates. This hypothesis was studied in the rove beetle, <i>Myrmedonota xipe</i>, which associates with <i>Azteca sericeasur</i> ants in the presence of parasitoid flies. A combination of lab and field experiments show that <i>M. xipe</i> beetles selectively locate and prey upon parasitized ants. These parasitized ants are less aggressive toward beetles than healthy ants, allowing beetles to eat the parasitized ants alive without interruption. Moreover, behavioral assays and chemical analysis reveal that <i>M. xipe</i> are attracted to the ant’s alarm pheromone, the same secretion used by the phorid fly parasitoids in host location. This strategy allows beetles access to an abundant but otherwise inaccessible resource, as <i>A. sericeasur</i> ants are typically highly aggressive. These results are the first, to our knowledge, to demonstrate a predator sharing cues with a parasitoid to gain access to an otherwise unavailable prey item. Furthermore, this work highlights the importance of studying ant-myrmecophile interactions beyond just their pairwise context.