[Debate]珊瑚蛇與奶蛇擬態經典案例的諸多疑點

Milk snake與Coral snake所形成的putative mimicry complex成為擬態生物學研究的經典已達一世紀之久. 但是這個擬態群一直存在著兩個違背Batesian mimicry預測的基本問題: (1) 被認為是mimic的奶蛇數量遠比被認為是model的coral snake為多; (2) 兩者不一定(而且經常)是不共棲的. 針對model與mimic不一定共棲的問題, 已經有"allopatric mimicry"這個理論所討論, 對於兩者個相對豐度的問題則應追溯至Brower & Brower (1962)以及Greene & McDiarmid (1981)的文章. Harper & Pfennig (2008)的文章則以族群遺傳學的方法證實了身為mimic的milk snake雄性會進行遷徙, 而且遷徙到coral snake不存在的地區, 間接地提供allopatric mimicry存在的族群遺傳學事證. 然而倒底是什麼記憶力, 學習能力與辯識力好的predator讓allopatric mimicry能夠存在, 則應該是下一個研究的目標.

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其它以奶蛇/珊瑚蛇所形成的擬態群為研究的文章可見David W. Pfennig研究群的著作目錄.