Manonichthys paranox, the Midnight Dottyback. Photo credit: Lemon TYK.
Mimicry is an ancient art practiced and mastered across the board in the animal kingdom. The paradigm of mimesis is a multifaceted prism, each with unique modifications to the standard model. In a precarious world where “eat or be eaten” is the central dogma, organisms must evolve certain tricks to enable survival and proliferation. No one said that these have to be boring though, and as evolution would show, nature is a magician with a bottomless pit for its hat of tricks.
A classic example of batesian mimicry.
In the discussion of mimicry, no other group of organisms embody this to greater lengths than insects. Some of the more iconic, classic examples of mimesis center around the field of entomology, where batesian and müllerian mimicry are notoriously well represented. In the former, a harmless, vulnerable species seeks protection by copying a known, distasteful or toxic model. By masquerading under false colors, the palatable insect is rendered invisible to predators, sans the subtle nuances that humans have come to appreciate. This is well studied in Papilio memnon – a large tropical swallowtail butterfly with polymorphic females that mimic various toxic species. In müllerian mimicry, two or more similarly toxic animals mimic each other to seek protection as a group, increasing the chances of survival. While these models are widely featured in terrestrial organisms, the same can be applied in the realm of piscines as well. The venomous Meiacanthus fang blennies are well known for their painful bites, and so serve as models to a wide variety of faux representatives. Cheilidopterus and juvenile Scolopsis are well known batesian mimics who swim under the pretense of these bennies. A more common model adopted in the reef, however, are protective resemblance and aggressive mimicry. In the former, organisms cover and conceal themselves by adopting the form and colors of their environment. Some well known examples include sponge-mimicking frogfishes (Antennarius) and the highly perplexing ghost pipefishes (Stolenostomus).
Aspidontus taeniatus and Labroides dimidiatus. Photo credit: Lemon TYK.
Even more diabolical still, is the adoption of aggressive mimicry. In this scenario, an animal adopts the color of a friendly species, exploiting its guise to sneak up on prey. The genus Plagiotremus and Aspidontus, both opportunistic carnivores, have evolved in great tandem with their models. The sinister and malevolent Aspidontus for example, mimics the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, and with its masquerade, brazenly swims up to unsuspecting fish where it takes a chunk out of its flesh.… More:
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