October 2, 2025

Uncovering secrets of the ‘cuckoo’ butterfly species Chrysoritis dicksoni (Gabriel, 1947), a social parasite of Crematogaster ants: A summary to the end of the 20th century with current conclusions

Key Points

Chrysoritis dicksoni larvae likely use acoustic signals to mimic queen ants, influencing their role among crematogaster ants.
Laboratory observations show larvae rejected brood as food, suggesting they rely on trophallaxis for sustenance.
No evidence exists that larvae consume ant brood, contradicting previous hypotheses about their diet.
Population decline in C. dicksoni near Mamre in the 1990s may be linked to environmental factors like veld fires.

Abstract

Current evidence suggests that juvenile stages of Chrysoritis dicksoni may rely on acoustic as well as chemical signals to survive as a parasite within the Crematogaster peringueyi ant nest. It is hypothesized that the sounds produced by the C. dicksoni larva may be mimicking those of a queen ant in order to enhance its hierarchical status and trophic priority within the nest. Interactions between C. dicksoni larvae and their host ants observed in captivity are summarized and illustrated. There is no evidence of ant brood being the larva’s diet as proposed by Clark & Dickson (1971), indeed the larvae repeatedly refused to feed on brood. In view of the strictly sedentary nature of all three larval instars studied and the trophallaxis observed, parsimony would suggest that trophallaxis is the main or sole source of food for all larval instars of this butterfly. No explanation could be found for the demise of the population of C. dicksoni near Mamre in the 1990s but it is suggested that excessive veld fires may have contributed. It is postulated that the species of scale insect associated with the host ant might delimit the range of C. dicksoni.

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