Eyespots of foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus) mimic its own eyes, which are camouflaged with a disruptive eye mask, deflecting attacks from the vulnerable head.
In zoology, automimicry, Browerian mimicry, or intraspecific mimicry, is a form of mimicry in which the same species of animal is imitated. There are two different forms.
In one form, first described by Lincoln Brower in 1967, weakly-defended members of a species with warning coloration are parasitic on more strongly-defended members of their species, mimicking them to provide the negative reinforcement learning required for warning signals to function. The mechanism, analogous to Batesian mimicry, is found in insects such as the monarch butterfly.
In another form, first noted by Edward B. Poulton in 1890, a less vulnerable part of an animal's body resembles a more vulnerable part, for example with deceptive eyespots or a false head that deflects attacks away from the real head, providing an immediate selective advantage. The mechanism is found in both vertebrates such as fishes and snakes, and insects such as hairstreak butterflies.
Automimicry has sometimes been put to military use. The A-10 Thunderbolt (Warthog) was often painted with a false canopy on its underside, imitating itself, while the armoured recovery vehicle variant of the Churchill tank had a dummy gun, imitating an armed variant of the same tank.
In zoology, automimicry, Browerian mimicry, or intraspecific mimicry, is a form of mimicry in which the same species of animal is imitated. There are...
contemporary literature. The model is usually another species, except in automimicry, where members of the species mimic other members, or other parts of...
length; the legs also have dark stripes. S. coleoptrata has developed automimicry in that its tail-like hind legs present the appearance of antennae. When...
a reduction in predation by Batesian mimicry. Eyespots are a type of automimicry used by some butterflies and moths. In butterflies, the spots are composed...
coenia foretarsal chemoreceptors. Larvae also appear to weakly adopt automimicry as a survival strategy. In the presence of caterpillars that have sequestered...
mimicry, harmless animals may appear to be distasteful or poisonous. In automimicry, animals may have eyespots in less important parts of the body than the...
(after Lincoln P. Brower and Jane Van Zandt Brower). This is a case of automimicry; the model is the same species as its mimic. Equivalent to Batesian mimicry...
Australia and Africa. They are remarkable for the sophistication of their automimicry. The family name is derived from the Greek ευρος (euros) and βραχυς (brachus)...
warn potential predators (another form of aposematism in females, and automimicry in males). Dasymutilla occidentalis plays an ecological role as pollinators...
camouflage schemes that included both disruptive ground coloration and automimicry (deceptive self-imitation), in the form of a false canopy on the underside...
evolution, providing a competitive advantage in the same ecological niche. Automimicry is a type of mimicry that occurs within a single species, in which an...
it is believed to be used to misdirect predators and is often called automimicry or intraspecific mimicry. Acharia stimulea is known for having one of...
mimicry, named after English naturalist Herbert Baker, is a form of automimicry or intraspecific mimicry that occurs within a single species. In plants...
by a false eye or false head somewhere else on the body, in a form of automimicry. Disruptive eye masks are seen on a variety of animals, both invertebrates...
head. Most predators aim for the eyes, and this false eye spot may in automimicry trick the predator into believing that the fish will flee tail first...
when approached from behind. This behaviour is thought to be a form of automimicry, confusing potential predators by disguising their vulnerable flanks...
sometimes sea anemones. Many fish have eyespots near their tails, a form of automimicry, to distract attacks away from the vulnerable head and eye. For example...
a reduction in predation by Batesian mimicry. Eyespots are a type of automimicry used by some lepidopterans. In butterflies, the spots are composed of...
v t e Mimicry In animals Aggressive Ant Automimicry Batesian Brood Chemical Eyespot Müllerian Emsleyan/Mertensian Sexual In vertebrates Wasmannian In...
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