May furtive predation provide enemy free space in ant-tended aphid colonies?

In furtive predation, a predator is able to exploit its prey without generating significant defensive behaviors from them. However, in aphidophagous guild, if furtive predator can benefit from dilution effects generated by the aphids, they also suffer from intraguild predation from more mobile and active-searching predators. In this context ant-tended aphid colonies might not only represent an important food source but also potentially an enemy-free space for furtive predators if they remain unharmed by ants while other active predators are being repelled. Here we use the furtive predator Aphidoletes aphidimyza and two distinct instars of an active-searching predator, the Asian ladybeetle Harmonia axyridis, to test hypotheses related to predator persistence within aphid colonies in presence of ants. Our results show that persistence rate over time of the furtive predator was not affected by ant presence while it was strongly reduced for both instars of the active-searching predator. Furthermore, when ran in paired trials within ant-tended aphid colonies, furtive predator persistence rate was significantly higher than for active-searching predators, with these latter always leaving the plants quicker. Finally, we tested the importance of predator mobility in detection susceptibility and aggressive responses in ants using mobile and immobile active-searching predators. While the number of antennal palpations was similar for both treatments indicating similar detection rate, the number of ant attacks was significantly higher on mobile individuals highlighting the importance of movement in triggering aggressive responses in ants. Overall our results indicate that furtive predation represents an efficient strategy to limit ant aggressions, while the exclusion of active-searching predators might create an enemy-free space for furtive predators within ant-tended aphid colonies.