Fly maggots in Morocco have developed fake termite-like faces and matching scents to infiltrate termite colonies undetected. Scientists believe they belong to a newly discovered species. Mountain baby flies in Morocco fake faces on their butts to survive. A new study has found that fly maggots in the mountains of Morocco have developed a fun yet intriguing technique to infiltrate termite colonies. The little creatures have been found to fake faces on their backs to look like termite heads. Previously unknown to scientists, these fly larvae inhabiting the mountains in Morocco pull off these «fake faces» to help them trick harvester termites (Anacanthotermes ochraceus), an Old World genus of termites found in deserts and semideserts of North Africa, into thinking they are part of their colony. This disguise allows these fly maggots to keep a low profile and live under the radar without getting killed as intruders by the soldier termites. It even grants them the privilege of having full access to the termite mound's food chamber. The fly maggots' disguise is so well executed that some of them are even groomed by the termites, according to the study published on Monday by the journal Current Biology. The tricky larvae were discovered by chance in the Anti-Atlas mountains in southern Morocco when the scientists were instead examining ants in the region. The two-faced, never-seen-before fly larvae were found under a rock, study lead author Roger Vila, a scientist at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain, explained in a statement. «It must be an extremely rare species because we have made three more expeditions in that area and, despite lifting hundreds of stones, we found only two more flies, together, in another termite mound», Vila said. Incredible Disguise Skills The discovery is very important as it signals an intricate technique adopted by the larvae to penetrate termite nests, usually difficult to access for intruders. It also shows the level of adaptation and social integration demonstrated by the little insects. When examining the disguised fly larvae, scientists found that they had «modified breathing holes to act as fake termite eyes and modified sensory organs called papillae that resembled termite antennae». The disguise was not only physical but also chemical. The larvae have also developed scent chemicals to match the termites' odor. The team even examined the chemical composition of the larvae and found it indistinguishable from that of the termites in the colonies where they lived. «They smell exactly the same», Vila said. «In addition, the larvae and termites in a particular colony have slight differences in their chemical profile that differentiate them from other termite mounds. This odor is key to interacting with the termites and benefiting from their communal life. It is a chemical disguise», Vila added. The researchers found that the Moroccan larvae were part of the fly genus Rhyncomya. The study suspects that they are a newfound species.
