Why does this ant look like a spider?

Myrmarachne is a genus of ant-mimicking jumping spiders that was first described by W. S. MacLeay in 1839.[5] They are commonly called antmimicking spiders, but they are not the only spiders that have this attribute. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (myrmex), meaning "ant", and ἀράχνη (arachne), meaning "spider".

Myrmarachne Myrmarachne sp. mimicking an ant Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Infraorder: Araneomorphae Family: Salticidae Subfamily: Salticinae Genus: Myrmarachne
MacLeay, 1839[1] Type species M. melanocephala

MacLeay, 1839

Species

185, see text

Synonyms[1]

Ascalus Thorell, 1894[2]
Bizonella Strand, 1929[3]
Herilus Thorell, 1894[4]
Iola Peckham & Peckham, 1892[2]
Pergasus Thorell, 1894[2]

This genus has undergone many changes, and is still under review as more information becomes available.[1] In 2016, several genera were split off, including Helicius and the monotypic genus Panachraesta.[6] The genus Emertonius was revalidated in 2018 after being synonymized with Myrmarachne for nearly thirty years.[7]

Myrmarachne have an elongated cephalothorax with relatively long chelicerae that projects forward in males. The cephalothorax has a waist, and the opisthosoma often has one too. The colors can vary from black to yellow, depending on ant species it is mimicking, and can change over the course of its life. For example, one African species was observed to mimic a certain species of ants as a juvenile, and another ant species as an adult.[8]

They tend to wave their front legs in the air to simulate antennae, and many have bodies that also closely resemble ants.

The genus Bocus is so similar to Myrmarachne that it cannot be distinguished without the help of a microscope.[8]

With about 80 described and many undescribed southeast Asian species, Myrmarachne is the most diverse genus of jumping spider in this region.[8] A few species, such as the palearctic M. formicaria, occur in temperate regions.[1]

As of July 2019[update] it contains 185 species and three subspecies found in the tropics from Africa to Australia, with some species found in the New World:[1]

M. acromegalis Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Thailand, Indonesia (Borneo)
M. acutidens Yamasaki & Edwards, 2013 – Indonesia
M. albocincta (C. L. Koch, 1846) – USA
M. albosetosa Wanless, 1978 – South Africa
M. alticeps (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Java)
M. amabilis Yamasaki, 2018 – Malaysia (Borneo)
M. angusta (Thorell, 1877) – China to Indonesia (Sulawesi)
M. annandalei Simon, 1901 – Malaysia
M. assimilis Banks, 1930 – Borneo, Philippines
M. attenuata (Karsch, 1880) – Philippines
M. attenuata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901) – Singapore
M. augusta (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Madagascar
M. aurea Ceccarelli, 2010 – Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland)
M. bakeri Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. balinese Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 – Bali
M. bamakoi Berland & Millot, 1941 – Mali
M. bicolor (L. Koch, 1879) – Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory)
M. bicurvata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) – Sri Lanka
M. bidentata Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. biseratensis Badcock, 1918 – Malaysia, Indonesia (Borneo)
M. brevis Xiao, 2002 – China
M. calcuttaensis Biswas, 1984 – India
M. caliraya Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – India, Philippines
M. capito (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Java)
M. chapmani Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. circulus Xiao & Wang, 2004 – China
M. clavigera (Thorell, 1877) – Indonesia (Sulawesi)
M. collarti Roewer, 1965 – Congo, Uganda
M. concava Zhu, Zhang, Zhang & Chen, 2005 – China
M. confusa Wanless, 1978 – Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe
M. consobrina Denis, 1955 – Niger
M. constricta (Blackwall, 1877) – Seychelles
M. contracta (Karsch, 1880) – Indonesia
M. cornuta Badcock, 1918 – Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia (Borneo)
M. corpuzrarosae Barrion, 1981 – Philippines
M. cowani (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Madagascar
M. crassembolus Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
M. cyrtodens Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
M. debilis (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Java)
M. decorata Reimoser, 1927 – Indonesia (Sumatra)
M. dilatata (Karsch, 1880) – Malawi
M. dirangicus Bastawade, 2002 – India
M. dubia (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Philippines
M. dundoensis Wanless, 1978 – Angola, Kenya, Botswana
M. edentata Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1996 – Caroline Is., Mariana Is.
M. edentula (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Philippines
M. edwardsi Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1996 – Caroline Is.
M. eidmanni Roewer, 1942 – Ivory Coast, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko), Congo,
M. elongata Szombathy, 1915 – Africa
M. endoi Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Malaysia (Borneo), Singapore, Indonesia (Simeulue)
M. epigealis Yamasaki & Edwards, 2013 – Indonesia
M. erythrocephala (L. Koch, 1879) – Australia (Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales)
M. eumenes (Simon, 1900) – Madagascar
M. evidens Roewer, 1965 – Congo
M. foenisex Simon, 1910 – West, Central Africa
M. foreli Lessert, 1925 – Angola, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa
M. formica (Doleschall, 1859) – Indonesia (Ambon)
M. formicaria (De Geer, 1778) – Macaronesia, Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia, China, Korea, Japan. Introduced to USA
M. formosa (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Sumatra, Sulawesi)
M. formosana (Matsumura, 1911) – Taiwan
M. formosana (Saito, 1933) – Taiwan
M. formosicola Strand, 1910 – Taiwan
M. galianoae Cutler, 1981 – Bolivia
M. giltayi Roewer, 1965 – Congo, Angola, Kenya
M. gisti Fox, 1937 – China, Vietnam
M. glavisi Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 – Bali
M. gurgulla Ceccarelli, 2010 – Australia (Queensland)
M. hashimotoi Yamasaki, 2018 – Malaysia (Borneo)
M. helensmithae Pekár, 2017 – Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory)
M. hesperia (Simon, 1887) – West Africa, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko)
M. hidaspis Caporiacco, 1935 – Karakorum
M. himalayensis Narayan, 1915 – India
M. hoffmanni Strand, 1913 – China
M. ichneumon (Simon, 1886) – Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, South Africa
M. incerta Narayan, 1915 – India
M. inermichelis Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
M. inflatipalpis Wanless, 1978 – Botswana, Malawi, South Africa
M. iridescens Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. isolata Clark & Benoit, 1977 – St. Helena
M. jacksoni Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 – Bali
M. jacobsoni Reimoser, 1925 – Indonesia (Sumatra)
M. japonica (Karsch, 1879) – Russia, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
M. jianfenglin Barrion, Barrion-Dupo & Heong, 2013 – China
M. kiboschensis Lessert, 1925 – Botswana to Vietnam
M. kilifi Wanless, 1978 – Kenya, Tanzania
M. kitale Wanless, 1978 – Kenya
M. kochi Reimoser, 1925 – Malaysia, Indonesia
M. kuwagata Yaginuma, 1967 – China, Korea, Japan, India
M. laeta (Thorell, 1887) – India, Pakistan, Indonesia (Nias Is.), China
- Myrmarachne l. flava Narayan, 1915 – India
- Myrmarachne l. praelonga (Thorell, 1890) – Myanmar
M. lagarosoma Yamasaki, 2018 – Malaysia (Borneo)
M. lambirensis Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Indonesia (Java, Borneo)
M. laurentina Bacelar, 1953 – Mozambique, South Africa
M. lawrencei Roewer, 1965 – Gabon, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia
M. legon Wanless, 1978 – Ghana, Ivory Coast
M. leleupi Wanless, 1978 – South Africa
M. leptognatha (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Java)
M. leptosoma Yamasaki, 2018 – Malaysia (Borneo)
M. lesserti Lawrence, 1938 – South Africa
M. linguiensis Zhang & Song, 1992 – China
M. longiventris (Simon, 1903) – Madagascar
M. luachimo Wanless, 1978 – Angola
M. luctuosa (L. Koch, 1879) – Australia (New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland)
M. ludhianaensis Sadana & Gupta, 1998 – India
M. lugens (Thorell, 1881) – Indonesia (Moluccas)
M. lugubris (Kulczyński, 1895) – Russia, China, Korea
M. lulengana Roewer, 1965 – Ethiopia, Congo, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa
M. lulengensis Roewer, 1965 – Congo
M. lupata (L. Koch, 1879) – Australia (Queensland)
M. macaulayi Pekár, 2017 – Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory)
M. macleayana (Bradley, 1876) – Australia (Queensland)
M. macrognatha (Thorell, 1894) – Indonesia (Java, Flores)
M. mandibularis (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Java)
M. manducator (Westwood, 1841) – India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra)
M. markaha Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Borneo, Philippines
M. marshalli Peckham & Peckham, 1903 – Africa
M. mcgregori Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. megachelae Ganesh Kumar & Mohanasundaram, 1998 – India
M. melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 (type) – Pakistan to Indonesia
M. melanotarsa Wesolowska & Salm, 2002 – Kenya
M. militaris Szombathy, 1913 – West, Central, East Africa
M. milledgei Pekár, 2017 – Australia (Queensland)
M. moesta (Thorell, 1877) – Indonesia (Sulawesi)
M. morningside Benjamin, 2015 – Sri Lanka
M. mussungue Wanless, 1978 – Angola
M. myrmicaeformis (Lucas, 1871) – Algeria
M. naro Wanless, 1978 – Kenya
M. natalica Lessert, 1925 – South Africa
M. nemorensis (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Myanmar
M. nigella Simon, 1901 – Philippines
M. nigeriensis Wanless, 1978 – São Tomé and Príncipe, Ghana, Nigeria, Angola
M. nigra (Thorell, 1877) – Indonesia (Sulawesi)
M. nitidissima (Thorell, 1877) – Borneo, Sulawesi
M. onceana Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
M. opaca (Karsch, 1880) – Borneo, Philippines
M. palladia Denis, 1958 – Afghanistan
M. patellata Strand, 1907 – China
M. paviei (Simon, 1886) – Thailand
M. pectorosa (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Sumatra)
- Myrmarachne p. sternodes (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Sumatra)
M. piercei Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. pinakapalea Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
M. pinoysorum Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
M. pisarskii Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1996 – Caroline Is.
M. platypalpa Bradoo, 1980 – India
M. poonaensis Tikader, 1973 – India
M. prava (Karsch, 1880) – India, Sri Lanka
M. prognatha (Thorell, 1887) – Myanmar
M. providens (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – India, Sri Lanka
M. pumilio (Karsch, 1880) – Bangladesh, Borneo, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam
M. pygmaea (Thorell, 1894) – Singapore
M. radiata (Thorell, 1894) – Indonesia (Java)
M. ramosa Badcock, 1918 – Malaysia
M. ramunni Narayan, 1915 – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
M. ransoni Wanless, 1978 – Madagascar
M. rhopalota (Thorell, 1895) – Myanmar
M. richardsi Wanless, 1978 – Ghana
M. robusta (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – India, Myanmar
M. roeweri Reimoser, 1934 – India
M. rufescens (Thorell, 1877) – Indonesia (Sulawesi)
M. rufisquei Berland & Millot, 1941 – Senegal
M. russellsmithi Wanless, 1978 – Nigeria
M. sabahna Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
M. salaputium Yamasaki, 2018 – Malaysia (Borneo)
M. satarensis Narayan, 1915 – India
M. schenkeli Peng & Li, 2002 – China (Hong Kong)
M. seriatis Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. simonis (Herman, 1879) – Croatia, Romania
M. smaragdina Ceccarelli, 2010 – Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland)
M. solitaria Peckham & Peckham, 1903 – South Africa, Lesotho
M. spissa (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Sri Lanka
M. striatipes (L. Koch, 1879) – Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania)
M. tagalica Banks, 1930 – Philippines
M. tamsuiensis Yamasaki, 2013 – Taiwan
M. tayabasana Chamberlin, 1925 – Philippines
M. thaii Zabka, 1985 – Vietnam
M. tintinnabulum Yamasaki, 2018 – Malaysia (Borneo)
M. transversa (Mukerjee, 1930) – India
M. tristis (Simon, 1882) – Libya to India
M. uelensis Wanless, 1978 – Congo
M. uniseriata Narayan, 1915 – India, Sri Lanka
M. uvira Wanless, 1978 – Ghana, Nigeria, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Ethiopia
M. vanessae Wanless, 1978 – Ivory Coast, Tanzania
M. vehemens Fox, 1937 – China
M. vestita (Thorell, 1895) – Myanmar
M. vulgarisa Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
M. zabkai Pekár, 2017 – Australia (Queensland, New South Wales)

^ a b c d e "Gen. Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
^ a b c Simon, E (1901). Histoire naturelle des araignées. Paris: Roret. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.
^ Wanless, F. R. (1978). "A revision of the spider genera Belippo and Myrmarachne (Araneae: Salticidae) in the Ethiopian region". Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History. 33: 18.
^ Bonnet, P. (1957), Bibliographia araneorum, vol. 2, Douladoure, Toulouse, pp. 1927–3026
^ MacLeay, W. S. (1839). "On some new forms of Arachnida". Annals of Natural History. 2 (7): 1–2.
^ Prószyński, J. (2016). "Delimitation and description of 19 new genera, a subgenus and a species of Salticidae (Araneae) of the world". Ecologica Montenegrina. 7: 4–32. doi:10.37828/em.2016.7.1.
^ Prószyński, J. (2018). "Review of genera Evarcha and Nigorella, with comments on Emertonius, Padilothorax [sic], Stagetillus, and description of five new genera and two new species (Araneae: Salticidae)". Ecologica Montenegrina. 16: 165. doi:10.37828/em.2018.16.12.
^ a b c Murphy, Frances; Murphy, John (2000). An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society. p. 304.

Nelson, X.J.; Jackson, R.R.; Edwards, G.B.; Barrion, A.T. (2006). "Living with the enemy: jumping spiders that mimic weaver ants" (PDF). The Journal of Arachnology. 33 (3): 813–819. doi:10.1636/S04-12.1. S2CID 52000089.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myrmarachne&oldid=1033556991"