Mimicry

In evolutionary biology, mimicry is a similarity of one species to another that protects one or both. In the case of prey species, it is a class of antipredator adaptation. This similarity can be in appearance, behaviour, sound or scent. Mimics occur in the same areas as their models.

Mimicry occurs when a group of organisms, the mimics, evolve to share perceived characteristics with another group, the models. The evolution is driven by the selective action of a signal-receiver or dupe. Birds, for example, use sight to identify palatable insects (the mimics), whilst avoiding the noxious models.

The model is usually another species, except in cases of automimicry. The deceived signal-receiver is typically another organism, such as the common predator of two species. As an interaction, mimicry is in most cases advantageous to the mimic and harmful to the receiver, but may increase, reduce or have no effect on the fitness of the model depending on the situation. The model may be hard to identify: for example, eye spots may not resemble any specific organism's eyes, and camouflage often cannot be attributed to a particular model.