Pirate spider

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Pirate spiders
Temporal range: Palaeogene–present
Ero aphana female side.jpg
Female Ero aphana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Mimetidae
Simon, 1881
Genera

See text.

Diversity [1]
8 genera, 166 species
Distribution.mimetidae.1.png

Pirate spiders, members of the family Mimetidae, are araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.

Contents

The family Mimetidae contains roughly 200 species divided among 12 genera, of which Mimetus and Ero are the most common. Mimetids are usually yellow and brown and are usually 3 to 7 millimetres (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in) long. Mimetids can be recognized by the rows of spine-like hairs on their long front legs; the rows consist of a long spine, followed by a series of progressively shorter ones.

Behaviour

Female Mimetidae sp. Pirate spider (Mimetidae sp.).jpg
Female Mimetidae sp.

Mimetidae usually hunt by picking at the strands on their prey's web to simulate the movements of either a trapped insect or a potential mate. This strategy is a form of aggressive mimicry. When their prey comes to investigate, they are instead captured and eaten.

The pirate spider Gelanor siquirres does not spin webs to passively catch prey. Instead, they hunt other web-building spiders using a stealth-based strategy. At night, they construct a capture web—long, dry silk lines extending from their retreat to nearby vegetation. These lines act as a trap by providing an anchor for the floating lines of nocturnal web-building spiders. If an exploring spider unknowingly secures its floating line to the pirate spider’s silk, it will then follow its own line onto the pirate spider’s web. Once the pirate spider detects the intruder, it descends from its retreat and ambushes it. [2]

Some mimetids have been observed to feed on insects as well. The spider-feeding habit presents problems in mating, and little is known about how the males court females to avoid being eaten. However, some male mimetids in the genus Gelanor, found in South America, have enormously long appendages which they use to inseminate females.

Female Mimetus ryukyus Mimetus.ryukyus.female.-.takinawa.jpg
Female Mimetus ryukyus

Distribution

Pirate spiders are found in forests all around the globe, wherein the highest diversity is found in Central and Tropical South America. [3]

Genera

As of April 2025, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera: [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Currently valid spider genera and species". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  2. ↑ Barrantes, Gilbert; Segura-Hernández, Laura; Solano-Brenes, Diego (2025-03-01). "A novel prey capture strategy in pirate spiders (Araneae: Mimetidae)". Animal Behaviour. 221: 122700. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.07.001. ISSN   0003-3472.
  3. ↑ Benavides, Ligia R.; Giribet, Gonzalo; Hormiga, Gustavo (2017). "Molecular phylogenetic analysis of "pirate spiders" (Araneae, Mimetidae) with the description of a new African genus and the first report of maternal care in the family". Cladistics. 33 (4): 375–405. doi: 10.1111/cla.12174 . PMID   34715733. S2CID   89163032.
  4. ↑ "Family Mimetidae Simon, 1881 (genus list)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
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