Hashim, Rosli and Ito, F. and Billen, J. and Huei, Y.S. and Kaufmann, E. and Akino, T. (2004) Spectacular batesian mimicry in ants. Naturwissenschaften, 91 (10). pp. 481-484. ISSN 0028-1042, DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-004-0559-z.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
The mechanism by which palatable species take advantage of their similarity in appearance to those that are unpalatable, in order to avoid predation, is called Batesian mimicry. Several arthropods are thought to be Batesian mimics of social insects; however, social insects that are Batesian mimics among themselves are rare. In Malaysia we found a possible Batesian mimic in an arboreal ant species, Camponotus sp., which was exclusively observed on foraging trails of the myrmicine ant Crematogaster inflata. The bright yellow and black colouring pattern, as well as the walking behaviour, were very similar in both species. We observed general interactions between the two species, and tested their palatability and the significance of the remarkably similar visual colour patterns for predator avoidance. Prey offered to C. inflata was also eaten by Camponotus workers in spite of their being attacked by C. inflata, indicating that Camponotus sp. is a commensal of C. inflata. An experiment with chicks as potential predators suggests that Camponotus sp. is palatable whereas C. inflata is unpalatable. After tasting C. inflata, the chicks no longer attacked Camponotus sp., indicating that Camponotus sp. is a Batesian mimic of Crematogaster inflata.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Funders: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Additional Information: | Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science Building, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Adaptation, Biological; Adaptation, Physiological; Aggression; Animals; Ants/*physiology; *Feeding Behavior; Predatory Behavior |
| Subjects: | Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science > Institute of Biological Sciences |
| Depositing User: | Miss Malisa Diana |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Aug 2013 04:21 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Jan 2019 09:06 |
| URI: | http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/8283 |
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