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Science 14 January 1977:
Vol. 195. no. 4274, pp. 201 - 203
DOI: 10.1126/science.831272
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Articles

Science, Vol 195, Issue 4274, 201-203
Copyright © 1977 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Natural selection for juvenile lizards mimicking noxious beetles

RB Huey and ER Pianka

Adult Eremias lugubris in southern Africa are concealingly colored and move with a typical lizard gait, but the jet-black and white juveniles are conspicuous and forage actively with arched backs. In color, gait, and size, juveniles mimic "oogpister" beetles (Carabidae: Anthia) that spray an acidic, pungent fluid when molested. This unique mimicry, which is believed to be the first reported case of a terrestrial vertebrate mimicking an invertebrate, seems to reduce predation on juvenile lizards.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Morphology, performance, behavior and ecology of three color morphs in males of the lizard Podarcis melisellensis.
K. Huyghe, B. Vanhooydonck, A. Herrel, Z. Tadic, and R. Van Damme (2007)
Integr. Comp. Biol. 47, 211-220
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Size-based variation in antipredator behavior within a snake (Agkistrodon piscivorus) population.
E. D. Roth and J. A. Johnson (2004)
Behav. Ecol. 15, 365-370
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