  Mimicry is a resemblance between species that benefits at least one of the
species. It is a ubiquitous evolutionary phenomenon particularly common among
prey species, in which case the advantage involves better protection from
predation. We formulate a mathematical description of mimicry among prey
species, to investigate benefits and disadvantages of mimicry. The basic setup
involves differential equations for quantities representing predator behavior,
namely, the probabilities for attacking prey at the next encounter. Using this
framework, we present new quantitative results, and also provide a unified
description of a significant fraction of the quantitative mimicry literature.
The new results include `temporary' mutualism between prey species, and an
optimal density at which the survival benefit is greatest for the mimic. The
formalism leads naturally to extensions in several directions, such as the
evolution of mimicry, the interplay of mimicry with population dynamics, etc.
We demonstrate this extensibility by presenting some explorations on
spatiotemporal pattern dynamics.

Populations and Evolution;Quantitative Methods