Corinnidae is a family of araneomorph spiders, sometimes called corinnid sac spiders. The family, like other "clubionoid" families, has a confusing taxonomic history. Once it was a part of the large catch-all taxon Clubionidae, now very much smaller. The original members of the family are apparently similar only in that they have eight eyes arranged in two rows, conical anterior spinnerets that touch and are generally wandering predators that build silken retreats, or sacs, usually on plant terminals, between leaves, under bark or under rocks.
Ant mimicry or myrmecomorphy is mimicry of ants by other organisms; it has evolved over 70 times. Ants are abundant all over the world, and potential predators that rely on vision to identify their prey, such as birds and wasps, normally avoid them, because they are either unpalatable or aggressive. Some arthropods mimic ants to escape predation, while some predators of ants, especially spiders, mimic them anatomically and behaviourally in aggressive mimicry. Ant mimicry has existed almost as long as ants themselves; the earliest ant mimics in the fossil record appear in the mid-Cretaceous alongside the earliest ants.
Castianeira is a genus of ant-like corinnid sac spiders first described by Eugen von Keyserling in 1879. They are found in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas, but are absent from Australia. Twenty-six species are native to North America, and at least twice as many are native to Mexico and Central America.
Anatea is an ant-mimicking genus of South Pacific comb-footed spiders that was first described by Lucien Berland in 1927. As of May 2020 it contains three species, found in Australia and on New Caledonia:
Australia has a number of highly venomous spiders, including the Sydney funnel-web spider, its relatives in the family Hexathelidae, and the redback spider, whose bites can be extremely painful and have historically been linked with deaths in medical records. Most Australian spiders do not have venom that is considered to be dangerously toxic. No deaths caused by spider bites in Australia have been substantiated by a coronial inquest since 1979. There are sensationalised news reports regarding Australian spiders that fail to cite evidence. A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia published by CSIRO Publishing in 2017 featuring around 836 species illustrated with photographs of live animals, around 381 genera and 78 families, introduced significant updates to taxonomy from Ramirez, Wheeler and Dmitrov.
Pranburia is a monotypic genus of Southeast Asian ant mimicking corinnid sac spiders containing the single species, Pranburia mahannopi. Christa L. Deeleman-Reinhold described the first male in 1993, and the first female in 2001. It has only been found in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Malaysia. The species is named after Narong Mahannop, one of the collectors of the holotype, and the genus is named after the Pranburi Province, where the male holotype was collected.
Castianeira alteranda is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the US and Canada.
Camponotus planatus, known generally as the compact carpenter ant or short carpenter ant, is one of three Camponotus species that is polygynous, or has more than one queen. It is a species of ant in the family Formicidae.
Castianeira trilineata is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States and Canada.
Castianeira thalia is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States.
Castianeira walsinghami is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States and Canada.
Castianeira occidens is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States and Mexico.
Castianeira gertschi, the Gertsch antmimic, is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States and Canada.
Castianeira floridana is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States and Cuba.
Castianeira crucigera is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States.
Castianeira cingulata, the twobanded antmimic, is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae and is an ant mimic. It is found in the United States and Canada.
Castianeira amoena is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in the United States and Mexico.
Castianeira crocata is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae, sometimes called by the common name red stripe spider. It is found in the United States. Though its body shape is quite different, its characteristic black body and red-marked back puts it at risk of being mistaken for a black widow spider.
Castianeira swiftay is a species of true spider in the family Corinnidae. It is found in Costa Rica, and named in honor of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
