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Spotted this guy at work late last fall. I was surprised to see him so late in the season. I got to watch him have a drink which was pretty cool. I was also really happy with how well the old Nikkor Macro 55/2.8 freebie I was trying out did, I'll definitely put it in the bag more often.

2024 Macro 5 by Lucas, on Flickr
2024 Macro 7 by Lucas, on Flickr
2024 Macro by Lucas, on Flickr
 
My money is on it being toxic to anything that eats it.
Probably true! Most of these very brightly colored insects or amphibians, where one wonders what the evolutionary advantage is to being so visible against the background, seem to be advertising their toxicity. Here I am and you better leave me alone if you know what’s good for you!
 
Probably true! Most of these very brightly colored insects or amphibians, where one wonders what the evolutionary advantage is to being so visible against the background, seem to be advertising their toxicity. Here I am and you better leave me alone if you know what’s good for you!

Yes, that's absolutely it. The dress code in nature is often black and yellow, black and red, black and orange, plus bright yellow, bright orange, bright red - stay well away, as no good will come to you. I'm advertising and I'm being honest.

The important bit is not to be lethal. You only want the predator to have an upset tummy, not die, so it learns to avoid your type. You might die, but the species will survive, and that is all that matters to the selfish gene.

An interesting form of mimicry is when species that are lethal mimic species that are not lethal. Some lethal snakes do this, by mimicking non-lethal snakes. How it works, is, if you have to bite an attacker and it dies, it doesn't learn, but it leaves a gap that is filled by another that doesn't know not to attack you. So, you get constant hassle from a succession of occupants. However, if you are non-lethal and you bite an attacker, it survives after a period of being unwell. It continues to hold its territory and next time it encounters you it knows to leave you well alone. So, lethal snakes benefit by mimicking non-lethal snakes that are avoided by potential attackers.

And of course you have the most common form of mimicry, Batesian mimicry, where perfectly edible things such as hoverflies mimic nasty things like wasps by being black and yellow...

CyclePath18May23_4099.jpg
 
Yes, that's absolutely it. The dress code in nature is often black and yellow, black and red, black and orange, plus bright yellow, bright orange, bright red - stay well away, as no good will come to you. I'm advertising and I'm being honest.

The important bit is not to be lethal. You only want the predator to have an upset tummy, not die, so it learns to avoid your type. You might die, but the species will survive, and that is all that matters to the selfish gene.

An interesting form of mimicry is when species that are lethal mimic species that are not lethal. Some lethal snakes do this, by mimicking non-lethal snakes. How it works, is, if you have to bite an attacker and it dies, it doesn't learn, but it leaves a gap that is filled by another that doesn't know not to attack you. So, you get constant hassle from a succession of occupants. However, if you are non-lethal and you bite an attacker, it survives after a period of being unwell. It continues to hold its territory and next time it encounters you it knows to leave you well alone. So, lethal snakes benefit by mimicking non-lethal snakes that are avoided by potential attackers.

And of course you have the most common form of mimicry, Batesian mimicry, where perfectly edible things such as hoverflies mimic nasty things like wasps by being black and yellow...

CyclePath18May23_4099.jpg
Great explanation! Nature in all its variety and grandeur. Endlessly fascinating.
 
Great stuff! Let it not be said that our forum does not dispense good photos and good knowledge in equal measure! 🙂

Here is a ladybird larva - highly distasteful - same honest warning message as the beetle upthread...

Warriston-Flowers10Sep24_8923.jpg


You just wouldn't mess with that!

Six-spot burnet moth - same honest warning...

Musselburgh21Jul23_8149.jpg


It produces hydrogen cyanide!

Fox moth caterpillar - highly irritating hairs - same honest warning...

Uist-2017_7802.jpg


All black with splashes of red/orange/yellow: Mullerian mimicry in practice.
 
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