Chemical warfare of stealthy silverfish: Parasites hide by covering themselves in ants' scent

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) — A co-evolutionary arms race exists between social insects and their parasites. Army ants (Leptogenys distinguenda) share their nests with several parasites such as beetles, snails and spiders. They also share their food with the kleptoparasitic silverfish (Malayatelura ponerophila). New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Ecology shows that the silverfish manage to hide amongst the ants by covering themselves in the ant's chemical scent.Myrmecophilous...

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