mimicry in insects

2. Mimicry
• The term mimicry is commonly applied to the
resemblance of one insect (called the mimic) to another
(called the model) so that a third insect or other
observer is deceived into confusing the two.
• A superficial resemblance of one organism to
another or to natural objects.

3. Types of mimicry
Batesian mimicry
A form of protective mimicry in which
an unprotected species (the mimic)
closely resembles an unpalatable or
harmful species (the model), and
therefore is similarly avoided by
predators.

4. Examples of Batesian mimicry
Bees Mimicry
ant Mimicry
wasps Mimicry

5. Examples of Batesian mimicry
Bees Mimicry
why ?
Because honey bees are able to defend
themselves with a sting, animals usually
leave them alone.
Sting organ

6. Bees Mimicry
Rupper fly

7. Bees Mimicry
Bee Fly - Family Bombyliidae

8. Bees Mimicry
Hover Fly - Family Syrphidae

9. Examples of Batesian mimicry
March Fly - Family Tabanidae

10. Bees Mimicry
Hornet moth

11. Ants Mimicry
Ants Mimicry
Why ?
Ants are have powerful defense
mechanisms such as acid taste,
aggressive biting, painful sting, and
group defense. Thus ants are generally
not subject to predation.

12. Ants Mimicry
Ants Mimicry Spiders
spider mimics both the appearance, movements and color of a stinging,
. distasteful ant

13. Ants Mimicry
Macroxiphus sp.
katydid nymph mimics an ant to ward off
predators.

14. Ants Mimicry
Ant-mimic Bug (Hyalymenus sp) nymph
mimicking ant, a true bug of the
Heteroptera .

15. Ants Mimicry
Ant-mimicking Broad-headed Bug
Nymphs.

16. Ants Mimicry
An Ant mimic- Clavigralla nymph

17. Ants Mimicry
Ant-mimicry in Assassin Bug nymph

18. Examples of Batesian mimicry
Ant-mimicking Longicorn Beetle

19. Ants Mimicry
Mantis when is nymph mimics an ant. Nymph has a very dark
colour compared to grassy green colour of adults.

20. Wasps Mimicry
Wasps Mimicry
Why ?
The female wasps have strings to
inject venom to their enemy where the
string is their modified ovipositor.

21. Wasps Mimicry
Black Wasps-mimicking Soldier Fly

22. Wasps Mimicry
Wasp-mimicking Mydas Fly - family
Mydidae

23. Wasps Mimicry
This Longicorn Beetle mimics a wasp to gain protection. To mimic a wasp,
it has the very short elytra, or wing cover. There are the orange-yellow bands on
its abdomen. On its 1st and 2nd abdomen segment there are the yellow edges
to make it has the narrow- waisted look. Besides its colours and body shape,
the beetle moves like a wasp too.

24. Jumping Spider Mimicking
The jumping-spider-mimicking may help the
planthopper nymph to avoid some predators, such
as ants and even the jumping spiders.
Hopper nymph's face with Jumping
Spider eyes pattern Jumping Spider

25. Aposematic Coloration
warning coloration
Prey with warning sign are easily learned
and therefore avoided by predators. Both
the warning prey and the learning predator
benefit from a correct interpretation of the
warning signals.

26. Aposematic Coloration
This is the larva of the monarch butterfly;
an example of aposematic coloration.
There is no question of camouflage here.
Rather this creature is advertising its
presence.

27. Aposematic Coloration
The milkweed leaves on which it is
feeding contain several substances that
are toxic to vertebrates. The larva stores
these within its body and thus becomes
unpalatable to vertebrate predators.
The chemicals remain in the body even
after metamorphosis, so that adults are
unpalatable as well.

28. Aposematic Coloration
In these photographs a blue jay eats a portion of a monarch
butterfly (left) that had fed (in its larval stage) on poisonous
milkweed. A short time later, the blue jay vomits (right).
Following this episode, the blue jay refused to eat any other
monarch offered to it.

29. Aposematic Coloration
An aposematic grasshopper from Argentina (Romaleidae)They
were certainly easy to notice with the aposematic coloration
slow hoppers due to their heavy bodies. In the case of this lubber
grasshopper, due to body size is compensated by toxic chemicals
that make them distasteful to predators.

30. Müllerian mimicry
A form of protective mimicry in which two
or more poisonous or unpalatable species
closely resemble each other and are
therefore avoided equally by all their natural
predators.

31. Müllerian mimicry
Example
The similarity in coloration between the monarch and viceroy
butterflies
the viceroy is thought to be as bad-tasting to birds as the
monarch.
monarch viceroy

32. Self Mimicry
Self mimicry is a term for animals that have
one body part that mimics another to
increase survival during an attack or give
them extra seconds to escape.

33. Self Mimicry This mosquito's wing patterns mimic a head on its tail to confuse its
predators.
Some insects have the markings on their tails. Those markings
effectively making the insects appear to be something that is facing the
opposite direction. A confused predator, when striking at the mimic, most
likely comes up with nothing more than a piece of wing and the insects
get a chance to escape.

34. Self Mimicry
Fake head on Wings
with the eye-patterns on planthopper fore wing tips, it gives the
impression of its tail is its head. predators have a less part of the body
to eat.

35. Self Mimicry
fake antennae on the rear of the wings.
There are butterflies that have what look like antennae on the
rear of the wings. If birds peck attack the rear edge of wings,
the head is protected and the butterfly has more time to get
away.

36. Self Mimicry
Fake head on caterpillars' tail
Caterpillars have the fake head patterns on their tail on left hand
side. Their real head is on their right hand side. This orient
predators to a less vulnerable part of the body. This Fake head
mimicry is very common in the caterpillars world.

37. Bird-dropping Mimicking
Moth, butterfly adults and Caterpillars

38. Dirt on the leaf
Lantana leafminer Beetle
At first we saw there are some dirt on the leaf. Then we started to
wonder why there were so many dirt with the same shape on
different leaves. When we came closer, we noticed they were
insects. Since they have hard wings cover with two wings meet at
middle, we then know they are beetles.

39. Threaten Sign
Predators' face on Moths' wings
Some insects, especially the moths and butterflies, they have the large
eyespot patterns or face patterns on their wings. Those patterns resemble
their predators' predators. Those patterns do not necessary make their
predators believe that those insects are their own predators. The insects
just bare a sign that its predator instinctively afraid of.

40. Predators' face on Moths' wings
There are two large eyes. The thick white lines may
remind the birds of their predators' teeth.

41. Caterpillars mimic bird's predator's
claw

42. Caterpillars Snake Mimicking
Predator's Face

43. Aggressive Mimicry
a predator or parasite imitates a signal of
another species usually (potential mate) in
order to exploit the recipient of the signal.

44. Eamples of Aggressive
Firefly,, or LigMhtinmingic Bryug , a beetle that
produces light. The light is produced in
special organs called photophores
located on the underside of the
abdomen.

45. Fireflies use their flashes to attract
mates. The pattern differs from species to
species. In one species, the females
sometimes mimic the pattern used by
females of another species. When the
males of the second species respond to
these "femmes", they are eaten!

47. Aggressive Mimicry of Cicadas
by an Australian Predatory
Katydid The Clicking Game
Of all the insects, cicadas probably have the
loudest mating ritual. Males produce clicking
sounds during mating. This clicking sound
attracts potential female mates. Male cicadas
have been recorded exceeding 120 decibels.
The sound is produced by a pair of membranes
called tymbals which are located in their
abdomen

48. Cicadas

49. Aggressive Mimicry of Cicadas
by an Australian Predatory
Katydid We have found that predatory
Chlorobalius leucoviridis katydids
(Orthoptera – Ensifera ) can attract
male cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) by
imitating the , species-specific
Cicadettini songs .

50. Chlorobalius leucoviridis

51. Phoretic nest parasites use sexual
deception to obtain transport to their host's
nest
larval aggregations of the blister beetle
Meloe franciscanus, which parasitize nests of
the solitary bee Habropoda pallida, cooperate
to exploit the sexual communication system of
their hosts by producing a chemical cue that
mimics the sex pheromone of the female bee.
Male bees are lured to larval aggregations, and
upon contact (pseudocopulation) the beetle
larvae attach to the male bees. The larvae
transfer to female bees during mating and after
that are transported to the nests of their hosts.

53. A spider’s greatest weapon, its
web, is being used against it
Assassin Bug Deception
assassin bugs pluck spider silk in webs,
mimicking the movements of exhausted,
stuck prey. When the hungry spider go to
what it thinks is a sure meal, the assassin
bug taps the spider, and then grabs, stabs
and eats it."
"The vibrations generated by bugs showed
clear structural similarities to those
generated by prey struggling in the web."

55. Assassin Bug Deception

56. Assassin Bug Deception