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http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/911/3?rss=1

The blister beetle larvae produce pheromones that attract a male bee who tries to mate with them. The larvae then jump on the male bee and get carried off to a real female bee. They then jump off the male and start eating the food all around the eggs laid by the female bee!

2006-09-22 13:06:21 · 1 answers · asked by ♪ ♫ ☮ NYbron ☮ ♪ ♫ 6 in Science & Mathematics Biology

1 answers

This sort of chemical mimicry is widespread amongst the arthropods.

There are several species of catterpillar and moth that secrete pheromones that cause ants to take their pupae into their nests and care for it until it hatches. There are also wasps that parasitize those pupae that secrete hormones that in various ways prevent the ants from defending them.

There are bolas spiders that seceret the sex pheromones of moths to attract thir prey.

There are orchids that secerete the sex pheromones of wasps in order to get pollinated.

There is a parastic barnacle that infects crabs. It chemically castrates the male crabs and secretes hormones that causes any infected crab to go into spawning mode, thus releasing the barnacle eggs into the ideal environment.

The Gordian worms secrete thirst hormaones that drive their insect hosts to water. Once there the worm bursts out,killing the host, and swims away.

I could go on for pages with this list. The arthropods are so dependent on hormones to control their actions that hormone mimcry has evolved countless times to exploit them.

2006-09-22 13:40:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

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