Pre-adaptation and speed mimicry among Namib Desert scarabaeids with orange elytra

Holm, E.; Kirsten, JF

doi:10.1016/s0140-1963(18)31776-2

Cited by 27 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Those bird species that feed habitually on insects on plants (where the beetles could jump to avoid capture) were less likely to include flea beetles in their diet than birds that feed on insects in the air (where, of course, evasive jumping could not occur). Similar ideas for the evolution of bright coloration in evasive prey have been proposed for other beetles (Holm & Kirsten, 1979), leaf-hoppers (Thompson, 1973) and birds (Baker & Parker, 1979).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 60%

A simulation of evasive mimicry in the wild

Hancox

Allen

1991

Journal of Zoology

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The hypothesis of evasive mimicry proposes that: (a) the conspicuous coloration of some animals has evolved to warn predators that they are good at avoiding capture; and (b) this conspicuous coloration is mimicked by other, less evasive species which thus gain protection from predation. We have tested these ideas with wild birds as the predators and red and yellow pastry ‘baits’ as the prey. We used a specially constructed bird table to make one of the colours good at ‘escaping’: when a bird was about to eat a bait the observer pulled a cord which activated a mechanism that made the baits of one colour (but not the other) drop out of the bird's reach. We first measured the overall selection by the naive birds by presenting, for one day, a ‘control’ of equal numbers of non‐evasive red and non‐evasive yellow baits. The birds were then trained for 20 days on equal numbers of evasive yellow and non‐evasive red baits, and were then again given a second control (in which the yellows were now non‐evasive ‘mimics’). The training was repeated for 18 days but with red as the evasive colour, and a third control was then presented (with reds now as the mimics). The proportions attacked daily in the two training sessions suggested that the birds were learning to ignore yellows in the first and reds in the second. In comparison with the first control, fewer yellows were eaten after they had been trained to ignore escaping yellows, and more were eaten after they had been trained on escaping reds. We conclude that the results are further evidence for the hypothesis of evasive mimicry.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 60%

A simulation of evasive mimicry in the wild

Hancox

Allen

1991

Journal of Zoology

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“…The genus Drepanopodus contains the two species D. proximus (Péringuey) and D. costatus (Wiedeman). Drepanopodus proximus is virtually identical to D. costatus apart from a slightly larger body size, less pronounced striae along the elytra and a presence of morphs exhibiting orange and/or black bicoloration of the elytra (see Holm & Kirsten, 1979). Moreover, the genus Pachylomerus contains two morphologically similar species, P. femoralis (Kirby) and P. opacus (Lansberge).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the Scarabaeini (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Forgie

Philips

Scholtz

2004

Systematic Entomology

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Abstract. A phylogenetic analysis of the Scarabaeini, based on 244 morphological characters, including 154 multistate and three biological characters, is presented. Tree topologies generated from unweighted data and some weighted algorithms are similar and support only two clades in the tribe representing the genera Scarabaeus L. and Pachylomerus Bertoloni. The only supported subordinate groups treated in this paper as subgenera are Kheper Kirby stat. nov., Pachysoma MacLeay, Scarabaeolus Balthasar and Sceliages Westwood stat. nov.Drepanopodus Janssens syn. nov. is synonymised with Scarabaeus and six additional names, Madateuchus Paulian, Mnematidium Ritsema, Mnematium MacLeay, Neateuchus Gillet, Neomnematium Janssens and Neopachysoma Ferreira, remain synonyms. A single origin of flightlessness is supported with the subgenus Pachysoma, the most derived lineage in this clade. Rolling dung balls backwards is the ancestral behaviour and predominant mode of food relocation in Scarabaeini, although tunnelling, forward pushing, and carrying also are utilized by some lineages. Pushing food has evolved independently in Sceliages species and S. galenus (Westwood) and a novel mode of forward food relocation by dragging evolved in the subgenus Pachysoma. Feeding on wet dung is the plesiomorphic condition and maintained by the majority of species in the tribe. The most unusual feeding behaviours in the tribe are represented by the obligate millipede‐feeding species of Sceliages and the dry dung pellet and/or detritus feeders of Pachysoma.

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“…Escape mimicry has not been fully demonstrated, mostly due to the complexity of phenomena involved and limitations to simulate natural conditions under controlled environments. However, it has been predicted to occur in many other butterflies, skippers (Hesperiidae), which fly very fast and contain numerous cases of color similarities involving both distant and closely related species, plus several other insects (Hespenheide 1973, Holm & Kirsten 1979, Vannin & Guerra 2012, and also birds (Baker & Parker 1979).…”

Section: Signaling Difficulty Of Capture To Predatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Both Palatable and Unpalatable Butterflies Use Bright Colors to Signal Difficulty of Capture to Predators

et al. 2016

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Birds are able to recognize and learn to avoid attacking unpalatable, chemically defended butterflies after unpleasant experiences with them. It has also been suggested that birds learn to avoid prey that are efficient at escaping. This, however, remains poorly documented. Here, we argue that butterflies may utilize a variety of escape tactics against insectivorous birds and review evidence that birds avoid attacking butterflies that are hard to catch. We suggest that signaling difficulty of capture to predators is a widespread phenomenon in butterflies, and this ability may not be limited to palatable butterflies. The possibility that both palatable and unpalatable species signal difficulty of capture has not been fully explored, but helps explain the existence of aposematic coloration and escape mimicry in butterflies lacking defensive chemicals. This possibility may also change the role that putative Müllerian and Batesian mimics play in a variety of classical mimicry rings, thus opening new perspectives in the evolution of mimicry in butterflies.

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Pre-adaptation and speed mimicry among Namib Desert scarabaeids with orange elytra

Cited by 27 publications

References 16 publications

A simulation of evasive mimicry in the wild

A simulation of evasive mimicry in the wild

Evolution of the Scarabaeini (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Both Palatable and Unpalatable Butterflies Use Bright Colors to Signal Difficulty of Capture to Predators

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