Müllerian mimicry is a pattern in which two or more genuinely well-defended species, often foul-tasting and sharing the same predators, evolve to resemble each other's warning coloration, so that a predator that has one bad experience with any member of the group learns to avoid every species that shares the look. It differs from Batesian mimicry in that no species involved is bluffing: all of them are truly unprofitable prey, so the signal stays honest. Monarch and viceroy butterflies, long cited as a case of a harmless viceroy mimicking a toxic monarch, were later found to be equally unpalatable, making them a case of mutual Müllerian defense rather than one-sided deception; the phenomenon was first described by the naturalist Fritz Müller in 1878, with mathematical models showing how a shared warning signal reduces predation losses for every species involved. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
PeriodicityNot a recurring event: a standing mutual resemblance between two or more defended species, maintained continuously rather than occurring at set intervals. 1 ScaleDocumented across whole animal groups, first identified in tropical butterflies and since found in bumblebees, poison frogs, coral snakes, and large multi-species mimicry rings such as those among velvet ants. 1 First DescribedProposed in 1878 by the German-Brazilian naturalist Fritz Müller, who supported the theory with one of the first mathematical models of frequency-dependent selection used in biology. 1 Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceTwo or more genuinely harmful or unpalatable species converge on a shared warning appearance so that a predator's single bad encounter with any one of them teaches it to avoid all others of similar appearance. 1 Connections
Associated With
Source Batesian mimicry (Wikipedia)
Source Mimicry (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Müllerian mimicry (Wikipedia)
Lead section, second paragraph, on the range of groups involved
Müllerian mimicry was first identified in tropical butterflies that shared colourful wing patterns, but it is found in many groups of insects such as bumblebees, as well as in other animals such as poison frogs and coral snakes.
Lead section, first paragraph, naming Fritz Müller and 1878
named after the German-Brazilian naturalist Fritz Müller, who proposed the concept in 1878, supporting his theory with a mathematical model of frequency-dependent selection, one of the first such models to be deployed in biology.
Lead section, first paragraph, on shared predator learning
predators need only experience a single unpleasant encounter with any member of a set of Müllerian mimics in order to thereafter avoid all creatures of similar appearance, whether or not it is the same species as the initial encounter.
Quote
Müllerian mimicry is a type of biological mimicry in which two or more well-defended species, often foul-tasting and sharing common predators, converge in appearance to mimic each other's honest warning signals.
View the SourceBatesian mimicry (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Batesian mimicry, Lead section, second paragraph, comparison to Müllerian mimicryQuote, Associated With: Batesian mimicry, Lead section, second paragraph, comparison to Müllerian mimicry
Batesian mimicry is often compared with Müllerian mimicry, the mutually beneficial, converging appearance of two or more harmful species.
Mimicry (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Mimicry, Lead section, contrasting deceptive and honest mimicryQuote, Associated With: Mimicry, Lead section, contrasting deceptive and honest mimicry
Most types of mimicry, including Batesian, are deceptive, as the mimics are not harmful, but Müllerian mimicry, where different harmful species resemble each other, is honest, as when species of wasps and of bees all have genuinely aposematic warning coloration.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.