This dataset is part of the study of mimetic host shifts in an endangered social parasite of ants, which is a joint study of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the University of Oxford. It contains the relative abundance data of cuticular hydrocarbons extracted from worker ants of Myrmica sabuleti and M. schencki, and from caterpillars of Maculinea rebeli from two populations at the pre-adoption stage and after being reared by the two ant species. The chemical was analysed from the caterpillars from each region when reared with each ants, by using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection (GC-MSD). Various statistical analysis was then carried out to compare the differences between groups. It aims to test whether observed regional differences in M. rebeli's host specificity could be explained by variation in chemical mimicry. Detailed research method can be found in Thomas et al. (2013) Mimetic host shifts in an endangered social parasite of ants. Proc. R. Soc. B vol. 280 no.1751. (https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.2336) Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/b0aec477-0883-4963-a3ae-52e3f0daf5aa

This dataset is part of the study of mimetic host shifts in an endangered social parasite of ants, which is a joint study of the NERC's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology(UK), the University of Oxford(UK), University of Bialystok(Poland), Polish Academy of Sciences(Poland) and UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research(Germany). Combined with datasets collected from previous study, they compare the proportions of caterpillars of Maculinea rebeli being adopted by resident Myrmica ant species near Przemysl, Poland in autumn with proportions of successful survivors the following summer to establish host specificity of the socially parasitic butterfly species. The data comprise: the study year, the ant species, total number of ant nest, the number of caterpillar survivors found in the nest of each ant species, number of nests with caterpillar presence and total number of nests without caterpillar presence. They were obtained from one population for 4 years(Y2001, Y2003, Y2004, Y2005). Detailed research method can be found in Thomas et al. (2013) Mimetic host shifts in an endangered social parasite of ants. Proc. R. Soc. B vol. 280 no.1751. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2336) Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/b472d635-d8fa-4c39-acfe-2b285ca0b9a8