In this article, we hear from Michihito Watanabe, Director of the Kawaguchiko Field Center and a leading researcher on the subject of the Reverdin's Blue.
![[Image] Michihito Watanabe, Director of the Kawaguchiko Field Center](images/014.jpg)
Michihito Watanabe
Born in Yamanashi. After graduating from university, served as a science teacher in local high school for 25 years before becoming Director of the Kawaguchiko Field Center.
"I believe Reverdin's blue could be a key-species to conserving the nature in and around Mount Fuji."
Past research into the Reverdin's Blue revealed that the butterfly has developed a curious symbiotic relationship with certain ant species. Typically a natural enemy, the ants instead live alongside the Reverdin's Blue and act as its bodyguard. What specifically is going on?
Ants lick the "honeydew" secreted from the back of Reverdin's Blue larvae. While doing this, they also act asspecial bodyguard , protecting the larvae from natural enemies such as parasitic flies. This is the reason why the ants never attack the larvae of Reverdin's Blue. Even more amazingly, the larva crawl into ant nest hole with some tending ants to pupate there. Why do ants attend and take care of pupae that will never secrete honeydew? Why do they look after the pupae until the adult emergence? These questions are not yetcleared. Solving them will provide us with insights into how best to conserve the natural environment around Mount Fuji where numerous wildlife species coexist together.
![[Image] Ants taking care of a larva](images/016.jpg)
Ants taking care of a larva:
Research and volunteer assistance will enable the collect -ion of large amounts of data related to questions such as how the ants identify the larvae of the Reverdin's Blue and how their symbiotic relationship was established.
* Photographed by Michihito Watanabe
The Reverdin's Blue species was once thought to be abundant over the grasslands. However, in fact, the species only live in places that satisfy certain specific conditions. Conditions such as the Indigofera plants that provide their food, and the holes of certain ant species where they have been able to survive by establishing a curious symbiotic relationship.
Finding out this sort of information about how the species lives requires the help of additional research volunteers. Further research will collect more basic data to help understand the functioning of this ecosystem, and it is anticipated that this will provide clues to saving the Reverdin's Blue from extinction.
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