Mimicry between adult rove beetles and assassin bug nymphs with unequal defenses: antagonistic or mutualistic?

ABSTRACT: Defensive mimicry encompasses a continuum ranging from Batesian to Müllerian mimicry. Batesian mimicry involves antagonistic interactions between undefended and defended species, whereas Müllerian mimicry represents mutualistic interactions between species with comparable levels of defense. When mimicry occurs between species with unequal defensive abilities, it is termed quasi-Batesian mimicry, though whether such interactions are antagonistic or mutualistic remains debated. Despite their common occurrence in nature, few quasi-Batesian mimicry systems have been experimentally studied. Here, we investigated the mimetic interaction between two chemically defended insect species, the rove beetle Paederus fuscipes Curtis, 1826 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) and the assassin bug Sirthen

SUBMITTER: Sugiura S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12428538 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature