Do cuticular hydrocarbons promote mutualistic behavior between ants and butterflies?

Some butterfly caterpillars establish close interactions with ants, involving various strategies, notably chemical communication facilitated by specialized organs or cuticular odors. The short-range cues driving interactions between butterflies of the family Riodinidae and their attending ants remain unclear. I aim to investigate the impact of caterpillar odors on attending ant behavior. I will collect caterpillars that have close interactions with ants and those that do not, in order to use them as baits. By manipulating caterpillar odors, I seek to determine if ants can discern between mutualist and non-mutualist odors. I anticipate that baits treated with odors from caterpillars that interact with ants will be more appealing to ants and subject to fewer attacks, supporting the idea that chemical compounds from butterfly caterpillars are key in promoting ant-caterpillar interactions.