Mimicry sexual

The predators discussed up to this point search for prey by using their ability to perceive certain chemical clues. Some unusual predators have evolved the ability to attract their prey with scents that mimic the odor of a valuable resource (see reviews of chemical mimicry in refs. 9 and 39). Several groups of spiders lure male insect prey with scents that mimic the sex pheromone scents of females of the prey species (see reviews in refs. 9,13,40, and 41). To the best of our knowledge, these spiders are the only predators that mimic sex pheromones. However, the spiders share some similarities with the diverse orchids which mimic insect sex pheromones to lure pollinators (9, 42, 43) and with the predatory fireflies, which practice elaborate mimicry of visual sexual signals to lure their prey heterospecific male fireflies (44). 

Schiestl, F. R, Ayasse, M., Paulus, H. D. et al. (2000). Sex pheromone mimicry in the early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) patterns of hydrocarbons as the key mechanism for pollination by sexual deception. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 186 567-574. 

Scott D. (1986) Sexual mimicry regulates the attractiveness of mated Drosophila melanogaster females. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 8429-8433. 

Mant, J., Brandli, C., Vereecken, N. J., Schulz, C.M., Francke, W. and Schiestl, F. P. (2005). Cuticular hydrocarbons as sex pheromone of the bee Colletes cunicularius and the key to its mimicry by the sexually deceptive orchid Ophrys exaltata. 

In as much as bumblebee (Bombus) males are stingless, they are automimics of the stinging females. As such, like all Batesian mimics, one would expect the resemblance to be as close as possible. However, often it is not. Stiles (1979) has suggested that because male bees are subjected to diurnal temperature fluctuations, which the female bees are not, the sexual dimorphism may be a trade-off for the males between best mimicry and best thermoregulation. 

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