Sexual attraction with pollination during feeding behaviour: implications for transitions between specialised strategies.

We document a previously overlooked type of sexual deception for orchids involving long-distance sexual attraction, but with pollination occurring during feeding behaviour at the labellum. We show this type of sexual deception operates in other Caladenia species and predict that it is widespread across the genus. Our findings may offer clues about how an intermediate transitional strategy from a food rewarding or food deceptive ancestor operated during the evolution of sexual deception.