When mimicry matters

The Hindu

13-06-2025

Hover was a hoverfly who loved being around flowers. As a larva, he had loved feasting on many things. Now, nectar from flowers was his new favourite. He had yellow-and-black markings, a single pair of wings, a large head, and large eyes. His relatives and he were often mistaken for wasps or bees.
Hover had not had a problem about looking like a wasp but a recent encounter changed his world view. 'Ma, I don't want to look like this anymore. There's hardly any difference between the wasps and I. I want to look unique,' said Hover, angrily.
'What happened suddenly? What's the harm in looking like wasps?' asked his mother.
'I don't want to be mistaken for them,' said Hover, opening up after a lot of prodding. 'I was trying to drink water from the steel waterfall. Just then, a human came, pushed a button, and the water started flowing. I was so grateful and flew close to thank him. Instead of saying 'You're welcome', the human shooed me away. He kept saying, 'Go away, you nasty wasp'. That is when I realised that looking like wasps is a bane,' said Hover. 'We hoverflies are wonderful creatures, minding our business, destroying pests, and pollinating flowers. We don't sting like wasps. Yet, I was shooed away.'
Life lessons
'Haven't I taught you that you to be careful around strangers?,' exclaimed his mother. 'What if they harm you? This human just shooed you away because he thought that you would sting him. Not just humans. Have you ever wondered why birds stay away from you? They confuse you with wasps and avoid you so that they won't be stung. Wasps sting, but they also help with pest control and pollination. Looking similar to wasps is an advantage, as it helps us survive. This is called mimicry. We exhibit Batesian mimicry. Many toxic or inedible organisms display bright colours to warn predators to avoid them. Batesian mimics like us have evolved over time to imitate these organisms and fool predators,' she explained.
'Are there other organisms who are mimics too?' asked Hover.
'Yes. Not just in looks, but also features and behaviours of their hosts. Why don't you go and explore?' said his mother.
More mimics
Off flew Hover on a learning trip. He came across his friend, Common Crow Butterfly, who was inspecting flowers. 'Hi CC, how are you?'
'I am not CC, I am the Double Branded Crow,' replied the butterfly.
'Sorry. you look so similar to CC that I got confused,' exclaimed Hover.
'Well, we are related to the CC and are co-mimics, explained the butterfly.
'Is this different from the wasps and us?' asked Hover.
'Yes. CC and our kind feed on toxic plants as larvae, which makes us inedible. We are capable of defending ourselves unlike you. As co-mimics, we teach predators to avoid both our kinds. A predator wouldn't make the mistake of eating two inedible things. This kind of mimicry is called Müllerian mimicry. The Brown King Crow butterfly is also our co-mimic,' explained the butterfly. 'Many mimics love hanging out with models and other mimics in communities called mimicry rings. Scientists have studied butterfly mimicry rings in the Western Ghats.'
'Wow. I would love to learn more. But I have to head back home now. Bye,' said Hover, as he flew home.
'Ma, I'm back. I met another kind of mimic and realised that if looking similar helps us survive, so be it,' said Hover.