Antenna-mimicry
Guides
Strymon istapa
Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak, Mallow Hairstreak, Dotted Hairstreak, Hewitson's Hairstreak
Strymon istapa is a widespread hairstreak butterfly found in xeric habitats across the southern United States, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. It is notably adaptable to human-altered landscapes, frequently occurring in rural and suburban areas with open fields or overgrown weeds resulting from land clearing. The species exhibits a distinctive behavioral trait of rubbing its hindwings together, presumably to draw attention to antenna-mimicking scales on the hindwing margin. Multiple common names reflect its association with mallow vegetation and its spotted wing pattern.
Temnostoma
Falsehorn Flies
Temnostoma is a genus of hoverflies (Syrphidae) renowned for their sophisticated Batesian mimicry of wasps. Adults possess overall morphological resemblance to hymenopterans, including darkened wing margins that mimic the folded wings of vespid wasps at rest. A distinctive behavioral adaptation involves waving the forelegs in front of the head to simulate wasp antennae. The genus comprises approximately 25 described species distributed across the Holarctic region, with larvae that are saproxylic—developing in wet, decaying wood where they feed on microorganisms.