mimicry

Myrmecos

Tag archives for mimicry

Up close with a drone fly

Posted by Alex Wild on July 6, 2010
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Eristalis, the drone fly Urbana, Illinois Easily mistaken for a bee, Eristalis is in fact a clever mimic capable of luring many an unsuspecting observer into the land of amusing taxonomy fail. But the structure of the antennae, the broad attachment of the abdomen to the thorax, and the presence of only a single pair…

Some Turtle Ant Mimics

Posted by Alex Wild on May 20, 2010
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Biologist Henry Hespenheide sends along this shot of several ant-mimicking beetles and their Cephalotes model: What I take from this image is just how important the appearance of a narrow waist must be to successfully pulling off the illusion. These mimics differ considerably in body proportions, but they have all managed to paint a fake…