Batesian mimicry occurs in many species of hoverflies to protect them from various predators. However, the degree of imitation varies depending on the species of hoverfly and the model it uses. Bumblebee imitators are generally seen as perfect imitators, while bee and wasp imitators can be described as “poor” imitators. It is thought that natural selection would have further improved the mimetic similarity of these species; however, this is not the case. This resulted in the evolution of "imperfect" mimicry, which many researchers believe may not even be mimicry at all. However, most, if not all, hoverflies labeled mimetics are actually imitators. The apparently mediocre nature of their likeness does not prevent them from obtaining at least some protection. Different mimics adopted different aspects of the model to achieve this. Visually poor imitations tend to behave more like the model than visually good imitations. The three groups of mimics contain both good and bad mimics, with some mimics being remarkably accurate and exhibiting close morphological and behavioral resemblance. At least some of the “poor” imitators may resemble their models in bird perception much more than in humans. Batesian mimicry involves a palatable, unprotected species (the mime) that closely resembles an unpalatable or protected species (the model). [5] Traditional theory of mimicry suggests that the predator will encounter the unpleasant species and learn to stay away from it and anything similar to it.[5] Thus, the appetizing species most resembling the model will be protected from the predator and will pass on their characteristics, becoming imitations of the unpalatable species through natural selection. It is widely accepted that hoverflies (...... middle of paper ......5. Retrieved May 12, 2014 from http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/99/1/Howarth_et_al_2004.pdfPenney , Heather D., Christopher Hassall, Jeffrey H. Skevington, Brent Lamborn and Thomas N. Sherratt (2014) The relationship between morphological and behavioral mimicry in flying flies (Diptera: Syrphidae, 183.2, 281-89). 10.1086/674612Polidori, Carlo, José L. Nieves-Aldrey, Francis Gilbert and Graham E. Rotheray (2014) Hidden in taxonomy: Batesian mimicry by a hoverfly to a Patagonian bumblebee, 7.1,. 32-40. DOI: 10.1111/icad.12028Rashed, A., Mi Khan, Jw Dawson, Je Yack and Tn Sherratt (2009) Do hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) sound like the., 20.2, 396-402.148