Biotic relationships - Part 2 Mimicry and camouflage

BIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS

Part 2 Mimicry and camouflage

Contents

5 Preface 6 In case of automimicry the deceived signal is another organism,

such as a common predator 7 More examples of butterfly automimicry

8 Caterpillars mimicking snakes illustrate Batesian mimicry and protective coloration – Hemeroplanes triptolemus

9 Aposematic signals as honest indications to warn predators off 10 Heliconius butterflies form a whole bunch of Müllerian and

Batesian ‘tiger’ mimicry rings 11 The black-and-yellow coloration of bees and wasps warns the 3rd

party of inedible qualities 12 Batesian high school cartoon and coral snakes

13 Müllerian ring of flatworms, nudibranchs end sea cucumbers displaying similar shapes and colours

14 Camouflaged at rest, blue-ringed octopuses flash in an aposematic warning display when harassed

15 The blacksaddled filefish gains protection from predators by imitating the toxic saddled puffer

16 False cleaner fish mimic the dance and appearance of bleustreak cleaner wrasses

17 Other aggressive forms of mimicry – mantises as sweet masters of disguise

Contents

18 The camouflage of the orchid mantis deceives predators as well as serving as aggressive mimicry

19 Reflecting UV and contrasting the UV-absorbing bull’s-eye of daisies, crab spiders wait in ambush for prey

20 Chlorobalius leucoviridis katydids attract male cicadas acoustically by imitating the female wing click replies

21 Caterpillars of mountain alcon blue butterflies (VU) learn to speak as ants and mimic the ant queen

22 Distasteful tiger moths jam the sonar of bats leaving them a chance of finding a more tasteful snack

23 Femme fatales fireflies engage in aggressive mimicry imitating the signals of other fireflies species’ females

24 Brood parasitism and egg mimicry 25 Flower mimicry – orchids inducing males to pseudocopulate

leaving them unrewarded and yellow-horned 26 Other forms of mimicry in plant kingdom

I am a rock – amazing Lithops sp. 27 Mimesis or masquerade - Leaf-tailed geckos in Madagascar 28 The giant prickly stick insects eggs even look like ant’s food

29 Arthropods in several different groups engage in myrmecomorphy or ant mimicry

Contents

30 Tactile and motion mimicry in an ant’s nest 31 Cryptic animals blend with the backgrond making them hard to

see 32 Though draco lizards are perfectly camouflaged by crypsis and

disruptive coloration … 33 When the prey has got no clue where the predator is

34 Grey eastern screech owls are remarkably camouflaged blending with the bark of hardwood trees

35 Cryptic resemblance to lichen thallus growth

36 How the zebra earned its stripes – disruptive coloration and motion dazzle

37 Pelagic tactics – transparent marine larvae and herrings made invisible by countershading and silvering

38 Caddis fly larvae decorate themselves with twigs, or pieces of shell to conceal the features of their bodies

39 Changeable colour - Arctic foxes adapt seasonally to their surroundings

40 Changeable skin patterns and colour for camouflage and social signaling – Jackson’s chameleon

41 Cryptical behaviour - Leafy sea dragons sway as if rippled by water currents

42 - 48 Credits

P Preface

… means that you will open a video link

The parts of ‘Biotic Relationships’ of which ‘Mimicry and camouflage’ is the second, provide applications,

elaborations and illustrations with a minimal explanation

Be guided by the frame the several links draw – be inspired by the main chapter ‘Biotische Relaties’ or enjoy

the visual material

The credits are available after the last slide

If endangered the conservation status according to IUCN of the reviewed animals is mentioned

In case of automimicry the deceived signal is another organism, such as a common predator

The pattern on the wings of Caligo memnon resemble the head of a predator like a snake or an owl, making attackers shrink back

The fitness of the mimic increases whereas the dupe’s is indifferent

More examples of butterfly automimicry

A scary predator?

Caterpillars mimicking snakes illustrate Batesian mimicry and protective coloration – Hemeroplanes triptolemus

A scary predator?

Aposematic signals as honest indications to warn

predators off

The hornet moth (Sesia apiformes) is a Batesian mimic of, and may be confused with, the real hornet (Vespa crabro)

Heliconius butterflies form a whole bunch of Müllerian and Batesian ‘tiger’ mimicry rings

Heliconius butterflies are Müllerian mimics of one another and are involved in mimicry with species from other tribes or families

H. pardalinus (2) is a perfect mirror image of Melinaea menophilus (4)

By mimicking the poisonous cousins, Heliconius butterflies are safer from the gaze of predators so selection favours these preset patterns

The black-and-yellow coloration of bees and wasps warns the 3rd party of inedible qualities

You don’t have to be bit by a bee, a wasp and a hornet to realize that yellow and black bands are bad

Batesian high school cartoon and coral snakes

The harmless milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum), the moderately toxic false coral snakes (Erythrolamprus sp.) and the deadly coral snakes (Micrurus sp.) form a mimicry ring; the milk snakes and Micrurus being the mimics, the false coral snakes being models

Deadly prey mimicking less dangerous species is Mertensian mimicry

Phylidiidae are of the few sea slugs crawling out during daytime P. coelestis, being noxious through distasteful chemicals from the

sponges the feed on, and Bohadschia graeffei, a sea cucumber mimic

Müllerian ring of flatworms, nudibranchs end sea cucumbers displaying similar shapes and colours

Hapalochlaena sp. can simultaneously flash its rings using neurally controlled pigmented chromatophores as well as structural light

reflectors in as little as 0,3 seconds

Camouflaged at rest, blue-ringed octopuses flash in an aposematic warning display when harassed

Hapalochlaena maculosa

Paraluteres prionurus (left), a Batesian mimic of Canthigaster valentini (right), Philippines

Schooling together, the difference in their dorsal fins are the best way to tell them apart

The blacksaddled filefish gains protection from predators by imitating the toxic saddled puffer

Bold longitudinal stripes of cleaner wrasses (Labroides sp.) enables fish to easily recognize them as their friends

Motion as a mimic behaviour has largely been ignored

False cleaner fish mimic the dance and appearance of bleustreak cleaner wrasses

Pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) False cleanerfish (Aspidontus taeniatus)

In presence of prey, the devil’s flower mantis (Idolomantis diabolica), impersonating a flower, remains motionless

Scaring off predators with wing and front leg display, it seduces airborne insects into its striking zone

Other aggressive forms of mimicry – mantises as sweet masters of disguise

The orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) climbs up a twig of a Phalaenopsis orchid until it finds one that has flowers

A small black spot on the abdomen lures its prey by resembling a fly

The camouflage of the orchid mantis deceives predators as well as serving as aggressive mimicry

Honeybees, an introduced species in Australia, prefer a flower with a crab spider (Thomisidae) over one with no

spider given the fact that the spider reflects in the UV range Argiopa argentata uses UV-zigzags in its web to lure its prey

Reflecting UV and contrasting the UV-absorbing bull’s-eye of daisies, crab spiders wait in ambush for prey

Sonograms show Chlorobalius leucoviridis click replies (‘R’)

produced in response to cues (‘C) of songs of 14 Cicadettini species

Chlorobalius leucoviridis katydids attract male cicadas acoustically by imitating the female wing click replies

Caterpillars of mountain alcon blue butterflies (VU) learn to speak as ants and mimic the ant queen

Phengaris rebeli carried by a slave Myrmica schencki ant

Not only the language is imitated, but so are the ant pheromones and smell – but there are risks!

Distasteful tiger moths (Cycnia tenera) jam the sonar of bats leaving them a chance of finding a more tasteful snack

This acoustic aposematism is a form of Müllerian mimicry of the moths who advertise with thoracic tymbal clicks of 4500 bps that

they are toxic and benefit by living to see another day

Femme fatales fireflies engage in aggressive mimicry imitating the signals of other fireflies species’ females

Photuris sp. use flash signals to lure in males of other species Attracted by this visible courtship signal, Photinus males are

unsuspiciously devoured

Brood parasitism and egg mimicry

Females of European common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) specialize on parasitizing particular host species by laying an

egg-morph whose color and size match closely host eggs Scientist still investigate how the female cuckoo “knows” which

nest to lay its eggs in

Flower mimicry – orchids inducing males to pseudocopulate leaving them unrewarded and yellow-horned

Long-horned bee (Eucera longicornis), Ophrys fuciflora The orchid world is full of violence, sex and lies!

Other forms of mimicry in plant kingdom I am a rock – amazing Lithops sp.

Other forms include the egg dummies of Passiflora sp. to deter Heliconius butterflies to lay eggs, Vavilovian rye in

wheat, or the resemblance of deadnettles to stinging ones

Mimesis or masquerade Leaf-tailed geckos (Uroplatus sp.) in Madagascar

In mimesis, common in prey animals and also employed by some predators for example flower mantises, the animal looks like something else which is of no special interest of the observer

The giant prickly stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) eggs even look like ant’s food

In addition the newly hatched nymphs are ant mimics and resemble the insects in whose nest they were born

Arthropods in several different groups engage in myrmecomorphy or ant mimicry

Myrmarachne jumping spiders are aggressive Batesian mimics avoiding predators by resembling ants, but they also feast on

the eggs and youngsters of the very same spiders

Tactile and motion mimicry in an ant’s nest

Unless the ant-loving cricket Myrmecophilus acervorum adopts the fragrance and the walk of ants in whose nest they intruded

it will be cut in pieces and gain no protection

Cryptic animals blend with the background making them hard to see

Can you spot the fiery-necked nightjar? (Caprimulgus pectoralis)

Though draco lizards (Draco volans) are perfectly camouflaged by crypsis and disruptive coloration …

… they have another very effective antipredator technique

When the prey has got no clue where the predator is

You do not want to be stopped by a leopard (Panthera pardus, NT IUCN 2012) launching a surprise attack

Grey eastern screech owls (Megascops asio) are remarkably camouflaged blending with the bark of hardwood trees

The tawny owl’s (Strix aluco) plumage dappled with buff is perfect for roosting in trees during the daytime

Cryptic resemblance to lichen thallus growth

Lichen katydid Markia hystrix, Western South America

How the zebra (Equus zebra) earned its stripes – disruptive coloration and motion dazzle

The black and white vision of lions (Panthera leo – VU IUCN 2012) makes everything blend in together leaving them dazed and confused

Pelagic tactics – transparent marine larvae and herrings made invisible by countershading and silvering

’Animals are painted by Nature, darkest on those parts which tend to be most lighted by the sky’s light, and vice versa’ A. Thayer 1896

Countershading is widely used by terrestrial animals such as gazelles and grasshoppers, or marine animals such as sharks and dolphins

Caddis fly larvae decorate themselves with twigs, or pieces of shell to conceal the features of their bodies

These underwater architects bear the true spirit of recycling

Changeable colour - Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) adapt seasonally to their surroundings

Changeable skin patterns and colour for camouflage and social signaling – Jackson’s chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii)

Spiny-flanked chameleon (Triocerops laterispinis), Tanzania, EN IUCN 2012

How does a chameleon paint its passion on its body? Panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)

Cryptical behaviour - Leafy sea dragons (Phycodurus eques NT IUCN 2012) sway as if rippled by water currents

Credits

6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p2k0B5Zk3s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly http://www.gbif.org/species/1918150

7, 8: http://www.slideshare.net/sciencepowerpointcom/mimicry-lesson-

powerpoint-animals-environment?qid=c744ddf0-6aac-4ba3-b1e3-7b3e47c8f27f&v=default&b=&from_search=6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzIlT2PlbaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPjbR5_ahmc

9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aposematism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MC5OBblol0 http://www.pbase.com/klaasvanhaeringen/image/135601493

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hornet https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoornaarsvlinder

10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DisHiDsRn1g

https://cadra.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/butterfly-mimicry-rings-a-case-of-natural-selection/comment-page-1/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconius

11: http://thewannabescientist.com/tag/bees/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFQoth5BtR4

12: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujxiU8xje8Y

Credits

13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwlfRJGqaBw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aposematism

http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/mimicry http://what-when-how.com/protostomes/behavior/ http://www.rzuser.uni-

heidelberg.de/~bu6/Introduction06.html

14: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=403 http://jeb.biologists.org/content/215/21/3752.full.pdf

http://www.arkive.org/southern-blue-ringed-octopus/hapalochlaena-maculosa/image-G83621.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNxJwCGJtsA

15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NRHlv06cUM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksaddle_filefish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinni%27s_sharpnose_puffer https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_three_p_romblon/4714882180/

16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JMkPi3_oE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_cleanerfish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labroides

17: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolomantis_diabolica

http://www.zooschule-rheinberg.de/gallery3/index.php/terrazoo/tiere/invertebrata/insectia/mantida

e/gottesanbeterin_7975 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wleok1ewP8

Credits

18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHJMhNrde8w https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopus_coronatus

http://www.isopoda.net/photo-stories/short-photo-stories/46-the-orchid-mantis

19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5vvA_vCsOA

http://bio.mq.edu.au/research/groups/cheng_lab/kcheng/crabspider.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomisidae

http://snailseyeview.blogspot.be/2013/09/getting-hang-of-camouflage.html https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickadel/sets/72157642356572583

http://bio.mq.edu.au/research/groups/cheng_lab/kcheng/HelingBehav06.pdf

20: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004185 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Versatile-Aggressive-Mimicry-of-

Cicadas-by-an-Australian-Predatory-Katydid-pone.0004185.s001.ogv

21: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phengaris_rebeli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tewqJDAnxs https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/tag/ant/

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ckk3o_myrmica-schencki-and-phengaris-rebeli_school https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmica_schencki

Credits

22: http://www.scientificamerican.com/video/sonar-jamming-moths-hinder-hungry-b2013-09-25/ http://echolocation-physiology-

ansc3301.weebly.com/moths.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycnia_tenera

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-one-moth-species-can-jam-bats-sonar-systems-10208105/?no-ist

23: http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/firefly/ https://vimeo.com/108269175

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photuris

24: https://natureshalfacre.wordpress.com/birds-x/never-an-empty-nest-brood-parasites/ http://www.hfsp.org/frontier-science/awardees-

articles/how-avoid-being-spotted-pigments-help-cuckoo-eggs-blend-host-eggs http://www.arkive.org/cuckoo/cuculus-canorus/video-09a.html

25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8I3cqpgnA

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nico_bees_wasps/5821085410/in/photostream/lightbox/

26: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ofmJaZZS0WM/maxresdefault.jpg

http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/film/247/clip/748/Mimicry+in+the+plant+kingdom.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofmJaZZS0WM

27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4dJA26nBso

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camouflage

Credits

28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs1Xs3Eheag https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extatosoma_tiaratum

http://www.phasmes.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=21861

29: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/01/spider-mimics-ant-to-eat-spiders-and-avoid-being-eaten-by-spiders/#.VbXsH7UnNrY

http://www.harunyahya.com/en/Books/985/the-miracle-in-the-spider/chapter/3750 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTUxL_MI6gw

30: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_mimicry

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mierenkrekel http://www.biolib.cz/en/image/id234104/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxw1VKBhJxE

31: http://sensoryecology.com/people/jolyon-troscianko.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2565113/Can-YOU-spot-bird-

incredible-video-reveals-one-nature-s-best-camouflage.html

32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxSGpCOtkSc https://www.flickr.com/photos/flickrascal/4774971834

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypsis

33: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7hTZjKmmZQ

http://theskunkpot.com/index.php/vanishing-act-by-photographer-art-wolfe-nature/

Credits

34: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903571/Hiding-plain-sight-Amazing-Eastern-Screech-Owl-uses-power-camouflage-dodge-predators-

ambush-prey.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm9SoRir2XI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQgFA1l9bM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_screech_owl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawny_owl http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/tawnyowl.htm

35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHeiNTe6N9M

http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000EsOV1eK4hWI/s/750/750/Markia-hystrix-katydid.jpg

36: http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/other/videos/fooled-by-nature-

zebras-stripes/ http://marksgottheblues.blogspot.be/2012/02/optical-illusion-or-herd-of-zebras.html

37: http://www.arkive.org/atlantic-herring/clupea-harengus/image-

A12923.html http://www.arkive.org/atlantic-herring/clupea-harengus/video-00.html

38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPqrNwBproM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLEuOmHBjgc http://www.abundantnature.com/2013/02/winter-aquatic-life-in-a-boiling-

sand-spring.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddisfly

Credits

39: http://goodnature.nathab.com/live-from-churchill-october-26-2009/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_fox

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/fox_arctic

40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NKS-C0RwUk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson%27s_chameleon

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-classifieds/924143-trioceros-laterispinis-very-rare.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiny-

flanked_chameleon http://animals.howstuffworks.com/28369-fooled-by-nature-chameleon-colors-video.htm

41: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafy_seadragon

http://www.arkive.org/leafy-seadragon/phycodurus-eques/image-G108745.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuI4ncViU4Y

Background: http://heartpeep.com/tag/your/