Mimicry | Definition & Examples - Britannica

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Batesian mimicry

In 1862 the English naturalist Henry W. Bates published an explanation for unexpected similarities in appearance between certain Brazilian forest butterflies of two distinct families. Members of one family, the Heliconiidae, are unpalatable to birds and are conspicuously colored; members of the other family, the Pieridae, are edible to predators. Bates concluded that the conspicuous coloration of the inedible species must serve as a warning for predators that had learned of their inedibility through experience. The deceptively similar color patterns of the edible species would provide protection from the same predators. This form of mimicry, in which a defenseless organism bears a close resemblance to a noxious and conspicuous one, is called Batesian, in honor of its discoverer.

Related Topics: aggressive mimicry Müllerian mimicry Batesian mimicry deceptive coloration automimicry (Show more) See all related content Access for the whole family! Bundle Britannica Premium and Kids for the ultimate resource destination. Subscribe
Ant mimic
Ant mimicA male jumping ant spider (Myrmarachne formicaria) disguised as an ant on a leaf. Its unusual, modified body resembles that of an ant, and the spider conceals two of its eight legs by raising them like antennae.(more)

Batesian mimicry can also include models and mimics that are distantly related. The jumping ant spider (Myrmarachne formicaria), for example, is a species of jumping spider that mimics a redwood ant (Formica rufa) in both appearance and behavior to escape predators. Its body is highly modified to resemble the head, thorax, and abdomen of an ant, and the spider disguises its fourth pair of legs (insects only have three pairs) by holding them above its head as fake antennae.

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