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Science 22 July 1977:
Vol. 197. no. 4301, pp. 400 - 401
DOI: 10.1126/science.197.4301.400
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Articles

Fright Posture of the Plesiopid Fish Calloplesiops altivelis: An Example of Batesian Mimicry

JOHN E. MCCOSKER 1

1 Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco 94118

When frightened by a predator, the plesiopid fish, Calloplesiops altivelis, adopts a posture and appearance that mimics the head of a noxious moray eel, Gymnothorax meleagris. Tests indicate that the mimicry is Batesian and not Müllerian. Unlike the strategy of other reef-fish prey species, which hide when threatened, the Calloplesiops's strategy is one of intimidation.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)