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First-ever documented case of a plant mimicking ants to attract pollinators https://phys.org/news/2025-09-documented-case-mimicking-ants-pollinators.html

Olfactory floral #mimicry of injured ants mediates the attraction of kleptoparasitic fly #pollinators https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225011261

"Vincetoxicum nakaianum (a #dogbane species native to #Japan described only a year ago) mimics the smell of #ants attacked by #spiders. This scent attracts #flies that feed on these injured #insects and pollinate the #flowers in the process."

First-ever documented case of a plant mimicking ants to attract pollinators

Ko Mochizuki of the University of Tokyo has discovered that Vincetoxicum nakaianum (a dogbane species native to Japan described for the first time by Mochizuki and his collaborators only a year ago) mimics the smell of ants attacked by spiders. This scent attracts flies that feed on these injured insects and pollinate the flowers in the process. This is the first case of a plant mimicking the odor of ants, revealing that the scope of floral mimicry is more diverse than previously imagined. The findings are published in the journal Current Biology.

photo of a small plant with inconspicuous dark flowers in a forest

Lukas VF Novak

@animalculum@scholar.social · 7 days ago

First-ever documented case of a plant mimicking ants to attract pollinators https://phys.org/news/2025-09-documented-case-mimicking-ants-pollinators.html

Olfactory floral #mimicry of injured ants mediates the attraction of kleptoparasitic fly #pollinators https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225011261

First-ever documented case of a plant mimicking ants to attract pollinators

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