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Photo#222794
Model and mimics - Neoclytus mucronatus - female

Model and mimics - Neoclytus mucronatus - Female
World Birding Center HQ at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park, Hidalgo County, Texas, USA
October 27, 2007
I approached the bait stump at "Josh's Diner" seeing what I thought was a trio of Polistes wasps (P. instabilis, I think?). Then I noticed that the middle wasp looked a wee bit funny...

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Model and mimics - Neoclytus mucronatus - female Model and mimics - Neoclytus mucronatus

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Nice find
Is it common for model and mimic to be nearby? I doubt it.

 
sometimes...
In this particular case, I do not know. With some cases of mimicry, the mimic is a parasite of some sort on the model, and so the two will commonly be found together; for example certain species of Bombyliidae that use bees as hosts, or the bombyliid Systropus that associates with Ammophila wasps (but not parasitic on them, it apparently attacks Limacodid caterpillars). In this case, the two species have no such life-history link. They do, however, seem to share a taste for overripe bananas....

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