142 Timehri. 



on the wing it may easily be mistaken for one of those insects ; but the 

 resemblance does not merely end there, for its wings are dusky and the 

 antennae are elbowed and carried in a wasp-like manner. Most remarkable, 

 however, are the transparent areas on the first abdominal segment, for 

 by their shape and position they give the abdomen the peculiar pedicel 

 appearance characteristic of Hymenopterous insects, especially wasps. 

 Add to this the habit of exerting their ovipositors, and the camouflage is 

 almost perfect. 



The Lampyrid beetle Calopteron serratum Linn, is an insect that 

 is protected by its obnoxious flavour, and owing to its coloration it is 

 quite noticeable. This coloration no doubt serves its purpose admirably 

 for we find the otherwise unprotected Syntomid moth Correbia lycoides 

 Wlk. taking advantage of the fact and mimicking it with an exactness 

 that is remarkable. 



Among the butterflies are to be found some of the best examples of 

 mimicry and at the same time the best known ; in fact it was amongst 

 these insects that Bates made his first observations on the Amazon. 

 Bates found that the Heliconiidae were abundant, vividly coloured, and 

 largely free from the attacks of birds and other enemies of butterflies ; 

 the reason for this being their disagreeable odour and taste. He then 

 found that some of the Pieridae, a family quite distinct from the 

 Heliconiidae, imitated them so successfully in coloration, form and flight, 

 that they largely escaped the attacks of their enemies while the other 

 members of the family were readily attacked. 



The well known case of the mimicry of Anosia plexippus L. by 

 Hypolimnas misippus Linn, also occurs in the colony. In this instance it 

 is only the female that mimics Anosia, the male being very differently 

 coloured, black with white patches on its wings. 



The generally accepted reason for this mimicry by the female only 

 is that the female being burdened with eggi, and consequently slower in 

 flight, is more exposed to attack, and it is therefore to her advantage to 

 imitate a species which is immune, the male having no necessity to 

 become mimetic. 



In all the above examples it is a defenceless insect that mimicks one 

 possessed of some form of protection which is usually announced to the 

 world at large by its warning coloration — they, therefore, fall under the 

 head of Batesian Mimicry. 



There are some insects, which are themselves already protected that 

 mimic other protected insects. This kind of mimicry has been called 

 Mallerian Mimicry, as it was first explained by Fritz Miiller. The 

 essence of Midler's explanation is that such resemblance is of advantage 

 to both groups as it minimizes the destruction of both — their enemies 

 having to learn but one set of warning colours instead of two — though 

 the rarer species has the advantage. 



