ABSTRACT
The studies of locomotion and intention movements by A. Daanje seem to be examples of behavioral field homology. A factor that seems to have injected considerable confusion into discussions of the evolution of behavior and behavioral homology is the use of behavior as a taxonomic character. Structural correlates of behavior consist of both peripheral structures as nerves, muscles, glands, bones and central nervous system structures as specific populations of neuron types, dendritic configurations, neurotransmitters, specific connections between neuronal populations. In the case of the lizard chromatophores, the difference in control mechanism argues strongly for a homoplastic rather than a homologous relationship. The example cited of chromatophore regulation having a nonhomologous structural basis in certain lizards is a good illustration of behavioral homoplasy similarities in behavior that are associated with nonhomologous structures. Several processes can contribute to behavioral similarity in the absence of homologous structural correlates: among these are convergence, parallelism, and mimicry.
