Which of the following is an example of Batesian mimicry?
A) paper wasps and yellow jackets that both have black and yellow stripes
B) defenseless spiders that look like ants
C) crab spiders that mimic the color of flowers on which they live
D) Heliconius butterfly species that share warning patterns and that are both unpalatable

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Batesian mimicry involves a harmless species (the mimic) evolving to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species (the model) to deter predators. In this case, defenseless spiders that look like ants (choice B) are an example of Batesian mimicry because the spiders gain protection by mimicking the appearance of ants, which may be unpalatable or aggressive to predators.

Which of the Following Is an Example of Batesian Mimicry