"},"type_species":{"wt":"''[[Myrmarachne melanocephala|M. melanocephala]]''"},"type_species_authority":{"wt":"MacLeay, 1839"},"subdivision_ranks":{"wt":"Species"},"subdivision":{"wt":"185, [[#Species|see text]]"},"synonyms_ref":{"wt":""},"synonyms":{"wt":"*''Ascalus'' [[Tamerlan Thorell|Thorell]], 1894{{cite book|last=Simon|first=E|year=1901|title=Histoire naturelle des araignées|publisher=Roret |publication-place=Paris|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.51973}}\n*''Bizonella'' [[Embrik Strand|Strand]], 1929{{cite journal|last=Wanless|first=F. R.|year=1978|title=A revision of the spider genera ''Belippo'' and ''Myrmarachne'' (Araneae: Salticidae) in the Ethiopian region|journal=Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History|volume=33|page=18}}\n*''Herilus'' Thorell, 1894{{citation|last=Bonnet|first=P.|year=1957|title=Bibliographia araneorum|publisher=Douladoure, Toulouse|volume=2|issue=3|pages=1927–3026|url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/688144}}\n*''Iola'' Peckham & Peckham, 1892\n*''Pergasus'' Thorell, 1894"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwBA">
Myrmarachne | |
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Myrmarachne sp. mimicking an ant | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
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] | |
Myrmarachne is a genus of ant-mimicking jumping spiders that was first described by W. S. MacLeay in 1839. [5] 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 ( myrmex ), meaning "ant", and ἀράχνη ( arachne ), meaning "spider".
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 chelicerae of males can lack venom glands. [8] 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. [9]
They tend to wave their front legs in the air to simulate antennae, and many have bodies that also closely resemble ants. It was assumed they didn't use their front legs for locomotion at all, but high-speed cameras have showed that they move around using all eight legs, raising their forelimbs only when stationary. [10]
The genus Bocus is so similar to Myrmarachne that it cannot be distinguished without the help of a microscope. [9]
With about 80 described and many undescribed southeast Asian species, Myrmarachne is the most diverse genus of jumping spider in this region. [9] A few species, such as the palearctic M. formicaria , occur in temperate regions. [1]
As of April 2024 [update] it contains 195 species and three subspecies found in the tropics from Africa to Australia, with some species found in the New World: [1]
Bavia is a genus of jumping spiders.
Hyllus is a genus of the spider family Salticidae. Most species occur in Africa and Madagascar, with many in Australasia and north to India. H. insularis is found in Greece and Iran, but it is considered misplaced in this genus, and is now Evarcha insularis.
Phintella is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by W. Bösenberg & Embrik Strand in 1906.
Rhene is a spider genus of the family Salticidae.
Telamonia is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1887. They are colorful spiders, with patterns that vary considerably between sexes and species. Two longitudinal stripes along the abdomen are common, and the carapace is often colored. They have a slender opisthosoma and long legs.
Thyene is a genus of jumping spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1885. It is a junior synonym of Mithion, and senior synonym of Brancus, Paramodunda and Gangus.
Cheiracanthium, commonly called yellow sac spiders, is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Cheiracanthiidae, and was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1839. They are usually pale in colour, and have an abdomen that can range from yellow to beige. Both sexes range in size from 5 to 10 millimetres. They are unique among common house spiders because their tarsi do not point either outward, like members of Tegenaria, or inward, like members of Araneus), making them easier to identify.
Diaea is a genus of crab spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1869. Most species are found in specific locations except for D. livens, which occurs in the United States and D. dorsata, which has a palearctic distribution. Adults are 5 millimetres (0.20 in) to 7 millimetres (0.28 in) and tend to hide in and around vegetation, especially flowers, where their color allows them to blend in to their surroundings.
Cyclosa, also called trashline orbweavers, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Anton Menge in 1866. Widely distributed worldwide, spiders of the genus Cyclosa build relatively small orb webs with a web decoration. The web decoration in Cyclosa spiders is often linear and includes prey remains and other debris, which probably serve to camouflage the spider. The name "Cyclosa" comes from Greek 'to move in a circle', referring to how it spins its web.
Neoscona, known as spotted orb-weavers and barn spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders (Araneidae) first described by Eugène Simon in 1895 to separate these from other araneids in the now obsolete genus Epeira. The name Neoscona was derived from the Greek νέω, meaning "spin", and σχοῖνος, meaning "reed" They have a mostly pantropical distribution and one species, Neoscona adianta, has a palearctic distribution. As of April 2019 there are eight species that can be found in the United States and Canada:
Cyrtophora, the tent-web spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. Although they are in the "orb weaver" family, they do not build orb webs. Their tent-like, highly complex non-sticky web is sometimes considered a precursor of the simplified orb web. These webs are aligned horizontally, with a network of supporting threads above them. These spiders often live in colonies. Females have a body length of mostly about 10 millimetres (0.39 in) long. Some members, including Cyrtophora cicatrosa, exhibit the ability to change colour rapidly.
Clubiona is a genus of sac spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804.
Oxyopes is a genus of lynx spiders found worldwide. It includes arounds 300 species and is classified under the lynx spider family Oxyopidae. Like other lynx spiders, they are easily recognizable by the six larger eyes arranged hexagonally on top of the head (prosoma), with the remaining smaller two eyes in front. They are also characterized by long spine-like bristles (setae) on their legs. They are ambush predators, actively hunting prey by sight. Though they produce and use silk, they do not build webs to capture prey.
Hermosa is a genus of jumping spiders first described by G. W. Peckham and E. G. Peckham in 1892, and synonymized with Myrmarachne in 1901. In 2016, Jerzy Prószyński split up Myrmarachne, creating nine new genera, all with names beginning "Myrm". However, it turned out that Myrmavola volatilis, the type species of Myrmavola, was also the type species of Hermosa, and Myrmavola was made a junior synonym. It is part of the Myrmarachnini tribe within the Salticoida clade of Salticinae.