TY - JOUR

T1 - Aposematism and Batesian mimicry in snakes: through the visible spectrum and beyond?

AU - Wuster, Catharine

AU - Wüster, Wolfgang

PY - 2023/2/26

Y1 - 2023/2/26

N2 - We explore the usefulness of UV photography in investigating putative Batesian mimicry of aposematic elapid snakes by harmless colubrids. We predicted that Batesian mimics would share similar UV reflectance patterns as their models and tested this in two likely Batesian mimicry systems. In North America, both Micruroides euryxanthus and Lampropeltis knoblochi lack any UV reflectance from any part of their dorsum. In India, Bungarus caeruleus displays strong UV reflectance from its light body rings, which is largely echoed in visually similar black and white Lycodon anamallensis, but not in reddish-brown individuals of the same species. Our results highlight the potential for UV photography to contribute to testing mimicry hypotheses. Researchers using inanimate models to test the function of animal patterns need to consider reflectance outside the human visual spectrum to maximise the resemblance of their models to the focal organisms.

AB - We explore the usefulness of UV photography in investigating putative Batesian mimicry of aposematic elapid snakes by harmless colubrids. We predicted that Batesian mimics would share similar UV reflectance patterns as their models and tested this in two likely Batesian mimicry systems. In North America, both Micruroides euryxanthus and Lampropeltis knoblochi lack any UV reflectance from any part of their dorsum. In India, Bungarus caeruleus displays strong UV reflectance from its light body rings, which is largely echoed in visually similar black and white Lycodon anamallensis, but not in reddish-brown individuals of the same species. Our results highlight the potential for UV photography to contribute to testing mimicry hypotheses. Researchers using inanimate models to test the function of animal patterns need to consider reflectance outside the human visual spectrum to maximise the resemblance of their models to the focal organisms.

KW - Photoraphy

KW - ultraviolet

KW - reflectance

KW - Elapidae

KW - Colubridae

KW - Micruroides

KW - Bungarus

KW - Lycodon

KW - Lampropeltis

KW - Oligodon

M3 - Article

VL - 16

SP - 165

EP - 170

JO - Herpetology Notes

JF - Herpetology Notes

SN - 2071-5773

ER -