Batesian mimicry

Originally described by Henry Bates and named in his honor.

Batesian mimicry - a type of mimicry where a palatable species (the mimic) resembles an unpalatable or well-defended species (the model), thus gaining protection from predation. Contrast with Mullerian mimicry. Examples abound among butterflies and other groups. Batesian mimicry may occur across unrelated taxa, e.g., moths mimicking beetles, flies mimicking wasps. Here are several sets of examples, with the format model <-- mimic(s). Note that some of these are well-accepted in the literature, and others are suggested mimicry associations.

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Note that it is often difficult, in practice, to determine if a particular organism is a Batesian or a Mullerian mimic, and that there may be a spectrum of relationships among different organisms. Early work, for instance, suggested that the Viceroy (right) was a Batesian mimic of the Monarch (left):

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However, at least one later study (Ritland and Brower, 1991) suggested that the Viceroy was equally as unpalatable to birds as the Monarch--the mimicry should be considered Mullerian.