Show us your mimics!

[nick_nv04]

Has anyone observed a case of mimicry that had you fooled for a moment? Things like this pale-gray bird dropping moth (Antaeotricha leucillana) and grape root borer moth (Vitacea spp.) sure got me.

Mimics fascinate me and I often peruse the mimicry projects on iNat. Hearing the stories behind observations is fun, too. So, I’d like to see what everyone here has to offer!

[Thunderhead]

Black-tailed Laphria,(Laphria posticata),genus Laphria

[nick_nv04]

Robber flies are excellent mimics of bees and wasps. Your post made me remember one I found that did such a good job that I didn’t realize what was up until I was going through my reel at home. Shame, since the pics aren’t that good… Complex Laphria canis.

[egordon88]

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bee-and-wasp-mimics

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ant-mimics

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/mimicry-gallery

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lycid-mimicry

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/masters-of-mimicry-pseudo-salticidae

That should keep you busy

[swampster]

This broad-headed bug was a convincing enough ant mimic that it initially fooled me.

[Thunderhead]

Hover Flies!!! I have observed 15 species of them. That’s a lot of deception!

[apusaffinis]

I’m looking forward to this thread : D
Exluding those that mimic vegetation that I may have included in the camo thread, This moth, Bembecia fibigeri, a wasp mimic sprung to mind. I don’t personally find it very convincing, but i’m also not its predator!

[Clip]

Virginia Giant Hover Fly

[oksanaetal]

Do dead leaves and litter count? Because I’ve been fooled by those more times than I can count…

[Thunderhead]

We’ve a couple now closed topics of that!

[danly]

Yay! More projects!
None of these are ones that I would have found on my own. A couple of them I could actually contribute to.

[Vermfly]

I found this cool little early instar western tiger swallowtail caterpillar pretending to be bird poop on a willow leaf.

You can see the observation here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/75912774

[tcriley]

This “ant”

Those spiders get me every time

[broacher]

Here’s my ‘double-feature’ mimic: a Cornfield Bolas Spider.

Mimicry round one: scent.
Like all bolas, they produce pheromones that mimic the scent of a female moth to attract male moths as prey. Mastophora hutchinsoni is a master of this trick and can even change the chemical formula to target different moth species.

Mimicry round two: dropping the bird
To avoid being preyed upon itself, the spider does a very good imitation of bird poo. If it wasn’t for the fact that in my region (Niagara, Ontario Canada) there are so many vineyards and wineries, it probably would have worked on me.

I spotted this in the Nov 2023 on top of a gravestone that was covered with bird droppings. All those grapes have quite an effect on local bird droppings — it shades them purply blue! The spider stood out only on the stone because it was NOT those colours (a case of evolutionary catch-up needed?).

One avid spider hunter confided to me that he had been looking decades for this species and was a little shocked that I found it on only my second year, and at a cemetery that was a 5-minute walk from the town’s main street.

My first impression when coming across this spider was that it had somehow become malformed by the deep frost we had the night before and that it was dead. But apparently, no! They know how to remain completely immobilized when they need to, and all those lumps? Exactly what they actually look like!

[Mercedes-Fletcher]

This little fellow puzzled me for a moment. He had too many legs!

[Clip]

Locust Borer

[erin-816]

Spilomyia longicornis (Eastern Hornet Fly)

“Mimicry
S. longicornis flies mimic vespid wasps in three main ways: physically, behaviorally, and auditorily. Just like vespid wasps, the anterior portion of the wings of S. longicornis flies are a darker brown color than the rest of the wing.[5] Their abdomen is yellow with black stripes, and the thorax and head are similarly colored. Behaviorally, S. longicornis flies mimic the way common wasps move their antennae. By resting on their back four legs and placing and moving their two front black legs above their head, they more closely resemble wasps.[11] When threatened, S. longicornis bend their abdomen in a similar fashion to wasps who are stinging a predator. They may also move their abdomen up and down when they are on a flower, which is a mimic of wasp abdomen expansion. Finally, it has been documented that S. longicornis flies, when threatened, produce a different buzzing sound than normal.[12] While wasps do not necessarily produce a different sound upon attack, the sound S. longicornis makes when threatened seems to be of a frequency similar to some hymenopteran species.[12] This strategy may have evolved because the visual and behavioral mimicry may not always work.[12]”

Climaciella brunnea (Brown Wasp Mantidfly)

"Climaciella brunnea
Its raptorial forelegs are similar in shape and function to that of Mantodea; this adaptation has evolved independently in the two groups and is an example of convergent evolution.[2] The wings of C. brunnea are distinctive in that they are often characterized by having thick brown edges and transparent inner edges. The species has a body length of 2 to 3 cm.

Its markings mimic those of wasp species within the Polistes genus. C. brunnea exhibits a large amount of color polymorphism as many groups will mimic the colorations of specific wasps found within their respective region.[2]"

[danly]

Perhaps the most well-known mimics among insects in North America are the Viceroy and Monarch butterflies.

Viceroy:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/180921326

Monarch:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129163693

Way back at the dawn of time, I learned that the Viceroy was mimicking the Monarch to benefit from the distastefulness of Monarchs to predators - “Batesian mimicry,” in which one species benefits from similarity to another. But I just learned that this is now considered to be “Mullerian mimicry”, in which both species benefit from the similarity between them.
Apparently Viceroys are equally as unpleasant to dine upon as Monarchs (although I can’t say that I have ever sampled them…)

[nick_nv04]

I’m loving all the observations everyone is sharing! I’ll share another one of mine, inspired by @broacher’s bolas spider:

This toadlike bolas spider (Mastophora phrynosoma) was found during a butterfly survey as I was examining foliage for any caterpillars or adults at rest. I was keeping my eyes peeled for any odd bird droppings as caterpillars love to disguise themselves as them, but even so, I had to do a double take at this particularly one. I especially admire the loving detail she’d put into the silk “splatters” upon which she is resting. Those really sealed the deal!

[broacher]

When you think ‘wasp mimic’ you probably think of flies, but some other insects go for the same disguise. Like this Neoclytus mucronatus beetle. I love how the ‘eyespots’ got into the mix here, as the beetle’s real eyes are down below.