 Mimicry is a type of Polymorphism that a few butterfly species exhibits. In mimicry one species resambles another species in external features. There are three types of mimicry exhibited in butterflies:
- Batesian Mimicry
- Mullerian Mimicry
- Auto Mimicry
In Batesian mimicry one non-poisonous species resambles another poisonous species to avoid predetory attacks. The species mimicking the other is called a mimic and the mimicked species is called the Model. This name was given to honour the works of British naturalist Henry Walter Bates. Species like Danaid Eggfly female mimics the poisonous Plain Tiger and the Common Mormon Female mimics the poisonous Indian Common Crow.
 In Mullerian mimicry one harmful species mimics another harmful species In mullerian mimicry both the species acts as the model and the mimic. In fact the more common species can be treated as the model. They can howerver be termed as co-mimics or mimic models. The name has been given to honour the works of German naturalist Fritz Muller. Heliconius butterfly of the tropics of western hemisphere shows classical example of Mullerian mimicry.
In Auto Mimicry some species have physical traits resembling certain other animals or plants. Butterflies have wide eye like spots in their wings to threaten predators. Some species like the Oak leaf resembles a leaf of a tree to avoid predation. |
