Ant responses in a lycaenid-ant symbiosis are not facilitated by cuticular compounds alone

Initiating partnerships in protective symbioses can be asymmetrical if there is risk of attack from their symbionts. Myrmecophiles may encounter chemically mediated recognition systems that allow the host ants to distinguish nestmates from natural enemies, including non-nestmate conspecifics. The immature stages of the lycaenid butterfly Jalmenus evagoras form an obligate symbiosis with workers of Iridomyrmex mayri that protect them against natural enemies. However, first instar larvae cannot anticipate this colony-specific chemical recognition system, since they are unlikely to encounter workers from the same colony that tended their mother. We show experimentally that workers of I. mayri can use chemical signals alone to distinguish between conspecifics and the larvae of J. evagoras; between nestmate and non-nestmate conspecifics; and between larvae tended by nestmate and non-nestmate conspecifics.  Nevertheless, we also show experimentally that while workers paid more attention ..., , , # Ant responses in a lycaenid-ant symbiosis are not facilitated by cuticular compounds alone

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cjsxksnf7](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cjsxksnf7)

# Description of the data and file structure

The data comprise the results of two field experiments involving behavioural assays.

There are two files: (i) the results of experiments investigating the response of ants to chemical cues only, and (ii) the results of experiments investigating the response of ants to either 2nd or 4th instar larvae.

**i) Ant response to cuticular extract:** workers were placed into a petri dish (80 mm diameter by 15 mm height) that contained one of five cuticular extract treatments, in which a piece of filter paper had been immersed in the eluate of (i) nestmate ant workers; (ii) non-nestmate ant workers; (iii) larvae of *J. evagoras* from the same tree (and thus tended by nestmate ant workers); (iv) larvae of *J. evagoras* from a different tree (and thus tended by workers from an...,