Müllerian

adjective Mül·le·ri·an \ myü-ˈlir-ē-ən , mi- , ˌmə- \

variants: or Mullerian or müllerian or mullerian

Definition of Müllerian

: of, relating to, or being mimicry that exists between two or more inedible or dangerous species (as of butterflies or bees) and that is considered in evolutionary theory to be a mechanism which reduces loss to predation by simplifying the warning colors and patterns a predator must recognize

Mullerian mimicry differs from Batesian mimicry in that all the species in the complex are unpalatable, they cannot be distinguished by predators, and they must be found in the same place at the same time.
—Arthur V. Evans and Charles L. Bellamy

a Müllerian mimic

Origin and Etymology of müllerian

Fritz Müller †1897 German zoologist

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1898

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

Müllerian

adjective Mül·le·ri·an

variants: or Mullerian also müllerian or mullerian or Muellerian or muellerian \myü-ˈlir-ē-ən, mi-, mə-\

medical Definition of Müllerian

: of, relating to, derived from, or involving the Müllerian duct

Müllerian anomalies

Mullerian aplasia

Biographical Note for müllerian

Müller, Johannes Peter (1801–1858), German physiologist and anatomist. Müller is generally acclaimed as one of the greatest biologists of all time. In 1834–40 he published a handbook of physiology that ranks as the first great text on that subject produced in the 19th century. In histology he described the microscopic anatomy of a large series of secreting glands. He was the first to classify the excretory system of the glands as an independent system of tubes; he noted that the blood vessels formed only a capillary network. He described the Müllerian duct in 1825.