Overview

• A Current Biology paper reports the first documented case of ant mimicry in plants, identified in the Japanese dogbane Vincetoxicum nakaianum.
• The flower’s volatile blend substantially overlaps with odors released by ants under spider attack, including nonane, undecane, 8Ac, 10Ac, and 6‑MMS.
• Behavioral assays in a Y‑shaped maze found flies chose odors from ants attacked by spiders over crushed ants or other controls.
• Kleptoparasitic chloropid (grass) flies seeking injured insects are drawn to the scent and pollinate the flowers as they move between blooms.
• The discovery followed field observations at Tokyo’s Koishikawa Botanical Gardens and was supported by crowd‑sourced naturalist reports, with researchers planning comparative and genetic follow‑ups.