![What do you do when the farmers that tend your favourite tasty livestock fiercely guard their lot? This is the problem faced by ladybird (Coccinellidae) larvae, whose food of choice are the soft-bodied scale insects tended by ants. The insects provide ants with sugary honeydew in return for the ants’ dedicated protection from predators. Ladybird larvae have therefore had to evolve ways to break this aggressive defence in order to feed. As can be seen here, the larvae of some ladybird species have evolved impenetrably thick coats of wax filaments, creating the appearance of a harmless-looking ball of fluff while also shielding from attack. Others have glands that secrete defensive chemicals. Of the 6000 species in the family Coccinellidae, most have one or both of these defences.Ref: CSIRO Australia (2011) Ladybirds — wolves in sheep’s clothing. ScienceDaily [link]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnwx5h0Uah1qkrbaho1_400.jpg)
What do you do when the farmers that tend your favourite tasty livestock fiercely guard their lot? This is the problem faced by ladybird (Coccinellidae) larvae, whose food of choice are the soft-bodied scale insects tended by ants. The insects provide ants with sugary honeydew in return for the ants’ dedicated protection from predators. Ladybird larvae have therefore had to evolve ways to break this aggressive defence in order to feed. As can be seen here, the larvae of some ladybird species have evolved impenetrably thick coats of wax filaments, creating the appearance of a harmless-looking ball of fluff while also shielding from attack. Others have glands that secrete defensive chemicals. Of the 6000 species in the family Coccinellidae, most have one or both of these defences.
Ref: CSIRO Australia (2011) Ladybirds — wolves in sheep’s clothing. ScienceDaily [link]
Source: sciencedaily.com
