Mimicry between the Drone-Fly, Eristalis Tenax (L.), and the Honeybee, Apis Mellifera L. Its Significance in Ancient Mythology and Present-Day Thought1

Atkins, E. L.

doi:10.1093/aesa/41.3.387

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The writings of the Hebrews also mention this myth, but in this instance the carcass was a lion in which Samson is reported to have found a swarm of bees (The Bible, Judges xiv: 8). The myth, which is also frequently mentioned in Roman and Greek literature (Atkins 1948), was ¢nally clari¢ed by the Russian entomologist Osten-Sacken (1898), who identi¢ed the drone£y as the false bee of the Bugonia. Atkins (1948) cited many more examples of the mimicry fooling beekeepers and entomologists alike.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…The myth, which is also frequently mentioned in Roman and Greek literature (Atkins 1948), was ¢nally clari¢ed by the Russian entomologist Osten-Sacken (1898), who identi¢ed the drone£y as the false bee of the Bugonia. Atkins (1948) cited many more examples of the mimicry fooling beekeepers and entomologists alike. However, the most important question is whether the mimicry fools predators (Whittington 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Behavioural mimicry of honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) by droneflies (Diptera: Syrphidae: Eristalis spp.)

Golding

Edmunds

2000

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Droneflies (Syrphidae: Eristalis spp. resemble honeybees (Apis mellifera) in appearance and have often been considered to be Batesian mimics. This study used a focal watch technique in order to compare the foraging behaviour of droneflies Eristalis tenax, Eristalis pertinax, Eristalis arbustorum and Eristalis nemorum) whilst they were feeding on patches of flowers with the behaviour of honeybees and other hymenopterans and dipterans. It was found that, on a range of plant species, the time droneflies spent on individual flowers and the time spent flying between them was more similar to that of honeybees than to the times of other hymenopterans and dipterans. These results suggest that dronefly behaviour has evolved to become more similar to that of honeybees and they support the hypothesis that droneflies are Batesian mimics.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Behavioural mimicry of honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) by droneflies (Diptera: Syrphidae: Eristalis spp.)

Golding

Edmunds

2000

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although some workers have doubted whether droneflies gain protection through Batesian mimicry of honeybees (Holloway 1976), there is evidence that humans have confused them with honeybees for more than 2000 years (Osten Sacken 1898; Atkins 1948). Droneflies may also have increased in numbers relative to honeybees as a result of human-induced changes to the environment such that they are now often much more abundant than their original Batesian model, including at the three sites studied here .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Does the Abundance of Hoverfly (Syrphidae) Mimics Depend on the Numbers of Their Hymenopteran Models?

Howarth

Edmunds

Gilbert

2004

Evol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We tested the prediction that, if hoverflies are Batesian mimics, this may extend to behavioral mimicry such that their numerical abundance at each hour of the day (the daily activity pattern) is related to the numbers of their hymenopteran models. After accounting for site, season, microclimatic responses, and general hoverfly abundance at three sites in northwestern England, the residual numbers of mimics were significantly correlated positively with their models nine times of 17. Sixteen of 17 relationships were positive, itself a highly significant nonrandom pattern. Several eristaline flies showed significant relationships with honeybees even though some of them mimic wasps or bumblebees, perhaps reflecting an ancestral resemblance to honeybees. There was no evidence that good and poor mimics differed in their daily activity pattern relationships with models. However, the common mimics showed significant activity pattern relationships with their models, whereas the rarer mimics did not. We conclude that many hoverflies show behavioral mimicry of their hymenopteran models.

show abstract

“…The finding that people are deceived by the hoverfly mimics lends credibility to the idea that the mimicry of honeybees by droneflies Eristalis spp. is the origin of the ancient Bugonia myth (Atkins, 1948). This stated that honeybees originate by spontaneous generation from the carcasses of decaying animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our experience suggested that hoverfly mimicry is effective to humans, and Atkins (1948) has described many anecdotes of the mimicry fooling both beekeepers and entomologists. However, no quantitative study had been performed to confirm whether hoverfly mimics deceive humans, and entomologists rightly point out that hoverflies can readily be distinguished from bees and wasps as they have only one pair of wings, shorter antennae and no wasp-waist.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Hoverfly mimicry deceives humans

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is believed that the resemblance of many hoverflies to stinging hymenopterans is a case of Batesian mimicry, though there is little experimental evidence that it is effective in protecting them from predators. In this study the effectiveness of hoverfly mimicry was investigated for humans by presenting groups of university students and schoolchildren with a questionnaire which included pictures of stinging hymenopterans, mimetic hoverflies and dipteran controls. More people thought that the mimics would sting than either of the control flies, though fewer than those who thought that the mimics' hymenopteran models would sting. This showed that the hoverflies' mimicry worked but was not 100% effective. More people thought that the good mimics would sting than poor mimics which were black and yellow, showing that the reaction was not just due to their warning coloration. Students' identification skills were poor; only 77%, 66% and 50% were able to correctly identify wasps, bumblebees and honeybees, respectively, but even knowledgeable students were confused by mimetic hoverflies. Significantly more of the students who had been stung thought that the Hymenoptera would sting and identified Hymenoptera correctly. Students who thought a hymenopteran would sting were in turn more likely to think that its mimic would sting. This suggests that the mimicry is partly mediated by experience. However, even students who had never been stung showed the same pattern of discrimination as those who had, suggesting that information is also passed on culturally. These results suggest that mimicry is effective and might help hoverflies avoid predation by birds but, as many of the subjects said they would kill a stinging insect, this would actually increase their chances of being killed by humans.

show abstract

Mimicry between the Drone-Fly, Eristalis Tenax (L.), and the Honeybee, Apis Mellifera L. Its Significance in Ancient Mythology and Present-Day Thought1

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Behavioural mimicry of honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) by droneflies (Diptera: Syrphidae: Eristalis spp.)

Behavioural mimicry of honeybees ( Apis mellifera ) by droneflies (Diptera: Syrphidae: Eristalis spp.)

Does the Abundance of Hoverfly (Syrphidae) Mimics Depend on the Numbers of Their Hymenopteran Models?

Hoverfly mimicry deceives humans

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About