Evidence of a fixed polymorphism of one‐year and two‐year larval growth in the myrmecophilous butterfly Maculinea rebeli

Maculinea (= Phengaris ) species of butterfly have complex life‐styles in which the larvae feed briefly on specific foodplants before entering the final instar, after which they live as social parasites within Myrmica ant colonies and acquire 98–99% of their ultimate biomass by either preying on ant brood (predatory species) or being fed by worker ants (cuckoo species). Cuckoo species demonstrate two growth forms, whereby some individuals...