Soh Kam Yung

"Like wily perfumers, a parasitic beetle’s larvae create floral aromas to lure in bees. Plants are known to cosplay as animals, but this rare discovery could be the first known example of an animal chemically mimicking a plant."

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/beetle-larvae-lure-bees-mimic-flowers

#Beetles #Larva #Bees #Plants #Biology #Scents #Mimicry

These beetle larvae lure in bees by mimicking flowers

These parasitic beetle larvae lure in bees with complex floral aromas before hitching a ride back to their nests and eating their eggs.

Science News
Feb 4 at 12:23pmWeb
Show threadubiFeb 4
@sohkamyung When I'm in cities and around white collar workers, I sometimes think "They don't smell like animals. They hide their scents by mimicking plants."
Show threadGeorgiana BrummellFeb 4

@sohkamyung What about the Hymenopus coronatus? "Several species have evolved to mimic orchid flowers as a hunting and camouflaging strategy, "hiding" themselves in plain view and preying upon pollinating insects that visit the blooms."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopus_coronatus

Hymenopus coronatus - Wikipedia

Show threadSoh Kam YungFeb 4
@dandylover1 As far as I can tell, Hymenopus coronatus are mimicking the visual aspects of flowers, not their scent.
Show threadGeorgiana BrummellFeb 5
@sohkamyung Thank you for the correction. I was under the impression that scent was included with the visuals.