Myrmarachne is a genus of ant-mimicking jumping spiders that was first described by W. S. MacLeay in 1839. They are commonly called ant-mimicking spiders, but they are not the only spiders that have this attribute. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek μύρμηξ, meaning "ant", and ἀράχνη, meaning "spider".
Oecophylla smaragdina is a species of arboreal ant found in tropical Asia and Australia. These ants form colonies with multiple nests in trees, each nest being made of leaves stitched together using the silk produced by the ant larvae: hence the name 'oecophylla' [Greek for 'leaf-house'].
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.
Portia labiata is a jumping spider found in Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia, Singapore, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines. In this medium-sized jumping spider, the front part is orange-brown and the back part is brownish. The conspicuous main eyes provide vision more acute than a cat's during the day and 10 times more acute than a dragonfly's, and this is essential in P. labiata′s navigation, hunting and mating.
Phidippus audax, the Bold jumper or Daring jumping spider, is a common species of spider belonging to the genus Phidippus, a group of jumping spiders easily identified by their large eyes and their iridescent chelicerae. Like all jumping spiders, they have excellent stereoscopic vision that aids them in stalking prey and facilitates visual communication with potential mates during courting. Bold jumping spiders are native to North America and have been introduced to Hawaii, Nicobar Islands, Azores, and the Netherlands. They are typically black with a distinct white triangle on their abdomen.
Cosmophasis is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae. They are predominantly Southeast Asian, while some species occur in Africa and Australia. Although most species more or less mimic ants, there are also colorful species that follow a different strategy.
Eburneana is a genus of the spider family Salticidae.
Myrmarachne formicaria is a species of jumping spider. It mimics an ant. It is one of the few species in the genus Myrmarachne that is found outside the tropics.
Portia fimbriata, sometimes called the fringed jumping spider, is a jumping spider found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Adult females have bodies 6.8 to 10.5 millimetres long, while those of adult males are 5.2 to 6.5 millimetres long. Both sexes have a generally dark brown carapace, reddish brown chelicerae ("fangs"), a brown underside, dark brown palps with white hairs, and dark brown abdomens with white spots on the upper side. Both sexes have fine, faint markings and soft fringes of hair, and the legs are spindly and fringed. However, specimens from New Guinea and Indonesia have orange-brown carapaces and yellowish abdomens. In all species of the genus Portia, the abdomen distends when the spider is well fed or producing eggs.
Myrmarachne exasperans is a species of jumping spider found in southeast Asia. The species which was originally described in Java has also been recorded in Borneo, Palawan (Philippines) Vietnam and Bali, where the largest number of individuals have been recorded.
Mexcala torquata is a species of jumping spider in the genus Mexcala that lives in Guinea and Ivory Coast. It was first defined in 2009 by Wanda Wesołowska, one of over 500 that the arachnologist described during her career. The spider is medium-sized, with a dark brown carapace that is between 3.0 and 3.3 mm long and a brown abdomen between 3.0 and 3.7 mm long. It has long thin legs and serrated chelicerae. Similar to other species in the genus, it mimics ants and ant-like wasps, living alongside and preying upon them. The female has a distinctive fillet on the back of its abdomen, after which the species is named. However, it can be most easily distinguished from other spiders in the genus by its relatively small copulatory organs, specifically its very small epigyne, seminal ducts and embolus.
Eburneana wandae is a species of jumping spider in the genus Eburneana that mimics ants. It was named by Tamás Szűts after the Polish arachnologist Wanda Wesołowska. The male of the species was first described in 2003, with the holotype found in the forests of central Africa. It is a relatively large spider, 8.2 millimetres (0.32 in) long, and is distinguished from the similar Eburneana scharffi by its different geography, being found in Cameroon rather than Tanzania, and the shape of the spider's front legs.
Mexcala smaragdina is a species of jumping spider in the genus Mexcala that is endemic to Nigeria. The spider was first defined in 2012 by Wanda Wesołowska and G. B. Edwards. Spiders of the genus mimic ants and ant-like wasps, living alongside and preying upon them. The spider is medium-sized, with a cephalothorax typically 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long and an abdomen 2.7 mm (0.11 in) long. The male has a hooked embolus that is shorter than the related Mexcala caerulea but otherwise the male copulatory organs are similar. The female has not been identified. The spider is most easily distinguished by the green-metallic sheen on its body, which is referred to in the species name.
Mexcala macilenta is a species of jumping spider in the genus Mexcala that lives in Ethiopia and Tanzania. The spider was first defined in 2000 by Wanda Wesołowska and Anthony Russell-Smith. It mimics ants and ant-like wasps, living alongside and preying upon them. The spider is medium-sized to large, with a brown carapace between 3.2 and 3.4 mm long and a rusty-brown or greyish-russet abdomen between 3.2 and 5.5 mm long. The female is larger than the male. Both male and females have long thin brown legs and a distinctive pattern of a large triangular black marking in the middle of the abdomen. The male copulatory organs have a thin tibial apophysis and lack the triangular lobe on the palpal bulb that other species in the genus possess.
Lyssomanes viridis, commonly known as the magnolia green jumper, is a species of jumping spider of the genus Lyssomanes, for which it is the type species. The species' native range extends through much of North America and Central America.
Locomotor mimicry is a subtype of Batesian mimicry in which animals avoid predation by mimicking the movements of another species phylogenetically separated. This can be in the form of mimicking a less desirable species or by mimicking the predator itself. Animals can show similarity in swimming, walking, or flying of their model animals.
Eris militaris, known commonly as the bronze jumper or bronze lake jumper, is a species of jumping spider, belonging to the Salticidae family. It is found in the United States and Canada within both suburban and rural areas. The male and female of this species can be differentiated from their size or by the coloration on their cephalothorax and abdomen. The females have a lighter cephalothorax a slightly darker abdomen with white spots. They are active in the autumn and winter season and can be found in sheltered areas within vegetation. They can also be found living within apple orchards, where insecticides may be present, which can potentially effect or alter their personality and behavior. Their diet consists of small insects, almost anything they can hold.
Peckhamia picata, the antmimic jumper, is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is found in North America. It specifically mimics the species Camponotus nearcticus, and does not elicit aggressive behavior from said ants.
Phidippus apacheanus is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is found in the United States, Mexico, and Cuba.
Peckhamia wesolowskae is a species of jumping spider in the genus Peckhamia that lives in Cuba. The species was first described in 2020 by Franklyn Cala-Riquelme, Abel Bustamante, Sarah Crews and Bruce Cutler. The spider mimics ants of the Cephalotes genus. It is a small spider, measuring between 3.3 and 4 mm in length, the female being smaller than the male. The spider is dark reddish in colour, and lacks a distinctive pattern on either the abdomen or carapace. The chelicerae are also reddish and have a distinctive concave central section which helps to distinguish the species from others in the genus. Other distinguishing characteristics for the species include the very long thin embolus of the male and the wide spermathecae in the female.
