Natural Selection for Juvenile Lizards Mimicking Noxious Beetles
- 14 January 1977
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 195 (4274) , 201-203
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.831272
Abstract
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 publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
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