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

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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 non-

venomous 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

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

More Batesian mimicry

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)

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

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 .

More Peckhamian mimicry

The fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera) and the Venus Flytrap, (Dionaea muscipula) attract insects that they digest

Peckhamian mimicry in carnivorous plants

Aposematic colouration:(maybe) I’m poiseness

Sea slugs of the genus The distasteful grasshopper Chromodoris Acripeza reticulata

More aposematic colours:(maybe) I’m poiseness

Warning colours in amphibians and insects

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

Signs of warning:(maybe) I’m dangerous

More signs of warning:(maybe) I’m dangerous

The false eye-spots in some species may frighten off or throw into disorder their predators

Madoryx oiclus

Polyphemus Moths

Pleurodema thaul

Papilio troilusChaetodon captistratus

Some beetles mimic ants in order to be provided with food, shelter and protection

Wasmannian mimicry

Araeoschizus sp. Reichenbachia spatulifer

Camouflage

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

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”

Camouflage

Egg-spots

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