1970] 
Waldbauer — Mimicry 
49 
insects in the field I have found this to be true of Mallota bautius 
(Walker), M. posticata (Fab.), Eristalis bard, us (Say) and E. 
bastardii Macquart, all of which mimic bumblebees. It is also true 
of Eristalis tenax (L.) which is frequently cited as a mimic of the 
honeybee. Another bumblebee mimic, V olucella bombylans (L.), 
has a rather long and feathery arista which is somewhat conspicuous 
in the field, but does not suggest to me the antenna of a bumblebee. 
It would be interesting to know if it is a valid generalization that 
bee-mimicking syrphids do not appear to have long antennae and, if 
so, to attempt to discover why this is the case. 
Acknowledgment: Thanks are due to Mrs. Alice Prickett who 
made the drawings. 
References Cited 
Curran, C. H. 
1951. Synopsis of the North American species of Spilomyia (Syrphidae, 
Diptera). Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Amer. Mus. Novitates 1492: 
1 - 11 . 
Nicholson, A. J. 
1927. A new theory of mimicry in insects. Austr. Zool. Sydney 5 : 
10-104 + 14 pis. 
Wirth, W. W., Y. S. Sedman and H. V. Weems, Jr. 
1965. Family Syrphidae. p. 557-625. In A. Stone, C. W. Sabrosky, 
W. W. Wirth, R. H. Foote and J. R. Coulson [ed.], A Catalog 
of the Diptera of America North of Mexico. U.S.D.A., Agric. 
Handbook no. 276. 
