PDF - Wallace Online

in PROTECTIVE RESEMBLANCES AMONG ANIMALS 69species of Hesthesis run about on timber, and cannot be distinguishedfrom ants. There is one genus of South AmericanLongicorns that appears to mimic the shielded bugs of thegenus Scutellera. The Gymnocerus capucinus is one ofthese, and isvery like Pachyotris fabricii, one of theScutelleridee. The beautiful Gymnocerus dulcissimus is alsovery like the same group of insects, though there is noknown species that exactly corresponds to it ;but this is notto be wondered at, as the tropical Hemiptera have been comparativelyso little cared for by collectors.Insects mimicking Species of other OrdersThe most remarkable case of an insect of another ordermimicking a beetle is that of the Condylodera tricondyloides,one of the cricket family from the Philippine Islands, whichis so exactly like a Tricondyla (one of the tiger beetles) thatsuch an experienced entomologist as Professor Westwoodplaced it among them in his cabinet, and retained it therea long time before he discovered his mistake ! Both insectsrun along the trunks of trees, and whereas Tricondylas arevery plentiful, the insect that mimics it is, as in all othercases, very rare. Mr. Bates also informs us that he found atSantarem, on the Amazon, a species of locust which mimickedone of the tiger beetles of the genus Odontocheila, and wasfound on the same trees which they frequented.There are a considerable number of Diptera, or two- wingedflies, that closely resemble wasps and bees, and no doubtderive much benefit from the wholesome dread which thoseinsects excite. The Midas dives, and other species of largeBrazilian flies, have dark wings and metallic blue elongatebodies, resembling the large stinging Sphegidse of the samecountry and a; very large fly of the genus Asilus has blackbandedwings and the abdomen tipped with rich orange, so asexactly to resemble the fine bee Euglossa dimidiata, and bothare found in the same parts of South America. We havealso in our own country species of Bombylius which arealmost exactly like bees. In these cases the end gained bythe mimicry is no doubt freedom from attack, but it has sometimesan altogether different purpose. There are a number ofparasitic flies whos,e larvae feed upon the larvae of bees, such