218 
Psyche 
[Vol. 94 
cannot yet be assigned to specific mimetic associations of species 
found together in the same microhabitat. 
The Mordellidae appear to be an ancient family of floricolous 
beetles (Crowson, 1981), and the scarcity of mimetic species might 
seem surprising. The small size of most species and their distinctive 
shape do not preadapt them for visual convergence with most of the 
stinging or distasteful species found on flowers. M. comata may be 
viewed as adaptively “fortunate” in co-occurring with a small, dis- 
tasteful, floricolous species. 
Acknowledgment 
We thank Dr. Norville Downie, Lafayette, Indiana, for identify- 
ing the mordellids and meloids. 
Literature Cited 
Blackwelder, R. E., and R. H. Arnett, Jr. 
1975. Checklist of the beetles of Canada, United States, Mexico, Central 
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selaerville, N.Y. (not paginated). 
Carrel, J. E. and T. Eisner 
1974. Cantharidin: potent feeding deterrent to insects. Science 183 : 755-757. 
Crowson, R. A. 
1981. The biology of the Coleoptera. Academic Press, New York and London, 
xii + 802 pp. 
Eisner, T., R. E. Silberglied, D. Aneshansley, J. E. Carrel, and H. C. Howland. 
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