Distributional Patterns of Selected Western North American Insects: Distribution of Diurnal Mutillidae in Western North America

Ferguson, W.E.

doi:10.1093/besa/12.2.113a

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Yet another element of complexity in this system comes from the possibility that some of the colour patterns (that is, the Desert mimicry ring) might be cryptic rather than aposematic 10,21 . It is also possible that some colour syndromes are more effective aposematic signals than others.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Known Batesian mimics of velvet ants include various beetles [15][16][17] , spiders 18,19 and antlion larvae 20 . In addition to other taxa mimicking velvet ants, several authors have noted the phenotypic similarity among unrelated velvet ant species, but only within a taxonomic context [21][22][23] . The possibility of velvet ant Müllerian mimicry rings, however, has not been suggested, yet a few species are thought to mimic true ants 10,24 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Repeated evolution in overlapping mimicry rings among North American velvet ants

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Müllerian mimicry, in which two or more harmful species share a similar appearance for mutual benefit, is a widely appreciated, yet relatively uncommon natural phenomenon. Although Müllerian mimicry occurs in vertebrates, most studies are focused on tropical, herbivorous invertebrates. Here we identify a large Müllerian mimicry complex in North American velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). These are conspicuous, diurnal parasitoids of bees and wasps that defend themselves with a powerful sting. We investigate morphological and genetic variation and ask whether morphological similarities are the result of convergent evolution or shared ancestry. We find that 65 species in the velvet ant genus Dasymutilla can be placed into one of six morphologically distinct and geographically delimited mimicry rings. Müllerian colour patterns are primarily the result of independent evolution rather than shared, phylogenetic history. These convergent colour syndromes represent one of the largest known Müllerian mimicry complexes yet identified, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%