1. Insect Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense
Is That Really You?
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

2. Insects Are a Nutritious and Abundant Source of Food
How do you defend against being eaten?
Exoskeleton
Flight
Large population numbers
“Hide”
Develop defenses and advertise them
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

3. Crypsis
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

4. Crypsis can be morphological or behavioral
Shape
Color
Pattern
Contour
Olfactory
Auditory
Orientation and Attitude
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

5. Camouflage Looking like your environment
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

6. Camouflage
Moth larvae
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

7. Camouflage
Katydids
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

8. Camouflage “Bird dropping katydid “Pebble” grasshopper
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

9. Disruptive patterns Lateral flaps Reduction of shadow
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

10. Orientation and Lateral Flaps
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

11. Orientation
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

12. Aposematic or Warning Coloration “I am Dangerous!”
May incorporate:
vivid colors
large, colorful aggregations
distinctive sounds
“flaunting” behavior
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

13. Warning Coloration red, yellow, pink, black
Coral snake
Poison arrow frog
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

14. Monarch Butterfly Larvae feed on milkweed
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

15. Warning Coloration Yellowjackets Moth caterpillar
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

16. Mimicry “I am Someone Else”
One species (the mimic) resembles another (the model)
The model is dangerous (usually toxic - unpalatable) - the mimic is not dangerous (it is palatable)
Usually more models than mimics (but not necessarily)
Species must occur together
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

17. Batesian Mimicry Traditional Model/Mimic Situation Model is unpalatable or dangerous Mimic is palatable or not dangerous
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

18. Monarch and Viceroy
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

19. Batesian Mimicry Beetle and Moth Fly and Bee
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

20. Batesian Mimicry
Moth
Yellowjacket
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

21. Mullerian Mimicry
Unpalatable or dangerous (unrelated) species evolve to look like each other
•Butterfly complexes
•Stinging insects
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

22. Mullerian Mimicry Butterfly Complexes
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

23. Passive and Systemic Chemical Defenses “I am not tasty”
Remember allomones - benefit the sender!
Remember how important chemical signals are to insects!
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

24. Monarch Butterfly Larvae feed on milkweed
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

25. Spines on caterpillars
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

26. Urticating Hairs
Severe Reaction
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

27. Reflex Bleeding
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

28. Enteric Discharge
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

29. Turning the Tables - Attack!
Osmetaria
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

30. Startle Behavior - I may not be what I want you to “think”
Eye spots
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

31. Startle behavior - Flash Coloration
Often accompanied by sound
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

32. Alligator-head Insect
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

33. Attack! Bombardier Beetle
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

34. Yellowjackets
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense

35. Group Defense
And warning coloration
Camouflage, Mimicry, and Defense