VISUAL MIMICRY Various kinds of mimicry Batesian mimicry

VISUAL MIMICRY

Various kinds of mimicry • Batesian mimicry: resemblance of harmless species to some non-edible species that signals their unsuitability to possible predators • Müllerian mimicry: resemblance of aposematic signals of different non-edible species • Peckhamian mimicry: resemblance of predators’ messages to messages of some species, or to some objects, that are harmless to their prey • Wasmannian mimicry: occurs when the mimic resembles it's host in order to live within the same nest or structure

Batesian mimicry •

Batesian mimicry

More Batesian mimicry The toxic sea slug Phillidiella pustulosa (left) is mimicked by a harmless flatworm Pseudoceros imitatus

More Batesian mimicry The harmless Allobates zaparo (top) mimics the poiseness Epipedobates biliguis (middle) and the even more toxic species E. parvalus whenever these species share their habitats

More Batesian mimicry The venomous coral snake Micrurus fulvius and its nonvenomous mimic the king snake Lampropeltis triangulum

More Batesian mimicry The viceroy butterfly Limenitis archippus (left) has evolved to mimic and look like the foul-tasting and poisonous monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus

More Batesian mimicry The filefish Canthigaster valentini (left) mimics the unpalatable puffer Paraluterus prionurus

More Batesian mimicry The Harlequin Snake eel (Myrichthys colubrinus) mimics the Banded sea snake (Laticauda colubrina) an extremely toxic species with conspicuous black and white warning colouration

More Batesian mimicry The mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) has the ability to mimic other aquatic creatures in order to avoid predation

Müllerian mimicry Many stinging wasps, like (from left to right) Vespula vulgaris, Vespula germanica and Vespula rufa share the same or similar black and yellow aposematic colour pattern.

Müllerian mimicry Subspecies of Heliconius erato (left-hand column) and of H. melpomene on the right. Both species are toxic and form a local mimicry ring from a different area of Ecuador or northern Peru

Müllerian mimicry The unpalatable soldier beetles (Cantharidae) mimic the distateful lycid beetles (Lycidae) and, when flying, the wasp

More Müllerian mimicry Unpalatable caterpillors of St. Jacobbutterfly mimic stinging wasps and venomous coral snakes

The use of black and yellow as a warning sign (RESEMBLING POISENESS SPECIES)

Peckhamian mimicry This anglar fish (Antenarius sp. ) displays a lure resembling a small fish

Peckhamian mimicry In its mouth, the Alligator snapping turtle (Macroclemys temminckii) possesses a wormlike projection that is moved to attract prey into the turtle’s mouth

More Peckhamian mimicry The orchard spiders (Celaenia sp. ) mimic bird droppings to look unappatising and attract moths by scent

More Peckhamian mimicry The bolas spider Mastophora hutchinsoni emits chemical attractants that mimic the sex pheromones of its moth prey

More Peckhamian mimicry Some spiders like the Synemosyninae and the genus Myrmarachne mimic ants that they hunt

More Peckhamian mimicry Lightning bugs (Lampiridae) have specific flash sequences to find eachother. Females of the genus Photurus can imitate the flash sequence of Photunis females in order to attract male wich they will devour.

Peckhamian mimicry in carnivorous plants The fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera) and the Venus Flytrap, (Dionaea muscipula) attract insects that they digest

Aposematic colouration: (maybe) I’m poiseness Sea slugs of the genus Chromodoris The distasteful grasshopper Acripeza reticulata

More aposematic colours: (maybe) I’m poiseness Warning colours in amphibians and insects

Signs of warning: (maybe) I’m dangerous Beetles like the Staphylinidae (right) and Phosphaenus hemipterus (left) mimic scorpions that may scare predators.

Signs of warning: (maybe) I’m dangerous Some planthoppers (Homoptera) mimic jumping spiders probably to avoid some predators, such as ants and even the jumping spiders

More signs of warning: (maybe) I’m dangerous Madoryx oiclus Polyphemus Moths Pleurodema thaul Papilio troilus Chaetodon captistratus The false eye-spots in some species may frighten off or throw into disorder their predators

Wasmannian mimicry Araeoschizus sp. Reichenbachia spatulifer Some beetles mimic ants in order to be provided with food, shelter and protection

Camouflage The moth Datana sp. (Notodontidae) mimics the rain forest floor

Camouflage The frog Paradoxophyla palmata mimics the mud and tree trunks in its environment.

Camouflage The insect Phyllium giganteum mimics a leaf to disguise itself

Camouflage The praying mantis Hymenopus coronatus uses its elegantly-lobed hind legs and pink and white coloration to camouflage itself amongst the native orchid flowers

Camouflage The pygmy seahorse Hippocampus bargibanti mimics gorgonian corals of the genus Muricella

Camouflage The starry flounder Platichthys stellatus makes use of melanophores and chromophores to adapt to the sea floor

Camouflage The great bittern Botaurus stellaris is pretty well camouflaged in its natural habitat

Camouflage The zebra Equus burchelli and the leopard Panthera Pardus may look conspicuous to us but are quite difficult to spot at dusk, especially when beïng “colour-blind”

Egg-spots Among cichlids the males of maternal mouthbrooders wear “egg-dummies” on their anal fin that are crucial to mating