On the Use of Adaptive Resemblance Terms in Chemical Ecology

Table 3

Proposed terminology for chemical adaptive resemblances. Chemical cues of a mimic can either be “acquired” from the environment (including the host), or they can be “innate”, that is, biosynthesized. In all cases of chemical adaptive resemblance, the operator is deceived by the mimic so that the mimic benefits.

Suggested term	By an operator, the mimic is…
Chemical crypsis	… not detected as a discrete entity due to the expression of cues that blend with the environment (causing no reaction in the operator).
Chemical masquerade	… detected but misidentified as an uninteresting entity (causing no reaction in the operator).
Chemical mimicry	… detected as an entity of interest (causing a reaction in the operator).