Mimetic Form and Coloration in the Cerambycidae (Coleoptera)

Abstract

Batesian mimicry is widespread in the Cerambycidae, the commonest models being Aculeate Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps) and “protected” Coleoptera (especially lyeids, cantharids, chrysomelids, and weevils). In some cases it is expressed as a general group mimicry, as in the wasp-mimicking Clytini, Lepturini, and Necydalini, the ant-mimicking Tillomorphini, and the lycidmimicking Pteroplatini, although some members of these tribes have specific models. More commonly, mimicry is sporadic, involving marked departures from near relatives in form, coloration, and behavior, with striking resemblance to a specific model. Although evident in most subfamilies and a large number of tribes, Batesian mimicry is most fully developed in the Rhinotragini, where closely related forms mimic such diverse groups as bees, wasps, lyeids, cantharids, and hispids. Müllerian mimicry has been less completely studied, although cerambycids are known to share Müllerian coloration with other insects in the West Indies and in Borneo.