Researchers have discovered a unique ‘cheating’ strategy employed by a New Zealand insect to avoid predation – by mimicking a highly toxic species.
In the natural world, poisonous species often display their toxicity through high contrast colors like black, white, and yellow, as seen in wasps and bees.
Similarly, New Zealand’s cyanide-producing stonefly, Austroperla cyrene, utilizes strong ‘warning’ colors of black, white, and yellow to indicate its threat to potential predators.
In a recent study published in Molecular Ecology, researchers from the University of Otago Department of Zoology have revealed that an unrelated non-toxic species adopts a ‘cheating’ behavior by mimicking the appearance of this particular insect.
Lead author Dr. Brodie Foster explains that by closely resembling a poisonous species, the Zelandoperla fenestrata stonefly aims to avoid becoming prey to predators.
“In the wild, birds often struggle to differentiate between the poisonous and non-poisonous species, causing them to likely avoid both,” states Foster.
“To the untrained eye, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between the poisonous species and its mimics,” he adds.
The researchers employed genomic techniques to identify a key genetic mutation in a coloration gene that sets the cheating species apart from the non-cheating species.
This genetic variation allows the cheating species to utilize different strategies across various regions.
However, co-author Dr. Graham McCulloch cautions that the cheating strategy, known as Batesian mimicry, does not always succeed.
“Our findings indicate that a ‘cheating’ strategy is not effective in regions where the poisonous species is rare,” remarks McCulloch.
Co-author Professor Jon Waters further emphasizes the risks associated with cheating.
“If the number of cheats exceeds that of the poisonous species, predators will quickly recognize this imbalance – it’s a delicate balance,” warns Waters.
The team, funded by Marsden, is currently assessing how environmental changes drive rapid evolutionary shifts in New Zealand’s native species.