Code and data for Mochizuki (2025) "Olfactory floral mimicry of injured ants mediates the attraction of kleptoparasitic fly pollinators" Current Biology.

Floral mimicry has been a focal point in biological studies, yet the diverse array of mimicry models, especially in fly-pollinated plants, remains underexplored. This study presents the first compelling evidence of olfactory ant mimicry in Vincetoxicum nakaianum (Apocynaceae) flowers, where the floral scent closely resembles the pheromonal compounds of injured common Formica ants, thereby attracting kleptoparasitic garss fly (Chloropidae) pollinators.
Ant mimicry has independently evolved more than seventy times in arthropods, yet it is exceedingly rare in plants, with no rigorously documented examples to date. Notably, this study also reports the first instance of methyl-6-methyl salicylate (6-MMS), a compound widely used as a hymenopteran pheromone, being exploited in flowers.
This study uncovers the unique mimicry model in a poorly understood pollination system, kleptomyiophily, shedding light on the diverse evolutionary outcomes of fly-mediated pollination, an ecologically important but underexplored pollination system.