Crypsis and masquerade

Abstract

A ‘signaller’ (for example, a prey) can avoid detection by a ‘receiver’ (for example, a predator) if its visual signals are difficult to separate from the background. There are two ways by which signallers match the coloration of their background— ‘crypsis’ and ‘masquerade’. We draw attention to the relationships between these two phenomena and how they differ from Batesian mimicry, another adaptation against detection.