Salticidae Myrmarachninae

Family: Salticidae Subfamily: Myrmarachninae Genus: Myrmarachne http://www.ne.jp/asahi/jumpingspider ♂♀
	Myrmarachne sp ASIA Asia Superstore TB12861, BA, Blok Kedai, Jln Kuhara Batu 5, Taman Semarak, 91000 Tawau, Sabah	Myrmarachne sp TAWAU ASIA	Myrmarachne sp BENUK Kg Benuk, Sarawak Female 28-7-2014 BENUK	Myrmarachne sp BENUK 27-11-2014 MEROTAI
	Myrmarachne TAWAU ~~Myrmarachne plataleoides~~ 4.5mm Male 11-10-2009 ABAKA	Myrmarachne GEMOK Female 2014	Myrmarachne KINABALU 30-8-2011 KNP 6mm Male Myrmarachne Gomantong 11-9-2010 Gomaong Female	Myrmarachne sp BATU LINTANG Female 25-7-2014 BATU LINTANG
Myrmarachne plataleoides South East Asia	Myrmarachne plataleoides South East Asia	~~Myrmarachne japonica~~ Myrmarachne sp MEROTAI2009 25-6-2009 Merotai 3MM Female		Myrmarachne plataleoides Proszynski, 2001 Borneo
黑色蟻蛛 Myrmarachne inermichelis Female 13-1-2009 Semarak 黑色蟻蛛 Myrmarachne inermichelis Male 21-9-2008 Semarak	Myrmarachne cornuta TYPE long waist long-abdomen Long-waist Male 6-1-2013 WHITE BRIDGE	Myrmarachne cornuta TYPE short waist ~~Myrmarachne inermichelis~~ short-waist Male 24-1-2009 Semarak	Myrmarachne cornuta Type #3 Short waist Round Abdomen Male	Myrmarachne MADAI Female 9-6-2010 MADAI
*Myrmarachne magna* short abdomen Male 13-3-2009 Semarak		Myrmarachne malayana ~~*Myrmarachne magna*~~ Female 5-3-2009 Semarak		Myrmarachne MEMBALUA
			Myrmarachne sp MEROTAI2014 Female 2014 MEROTAI
	Spidering of Myrmarachne magna 大蟻蛛 19-7-2009 GUDANG 4	Myrmarachne sp SEMARAK 1-10-2008 Semarak Female	Myrmarachne ABAKA 6mm Female 11-10-2009 ABAKA
Female Myrmarachne formicaria 21-6-2009 Stadium			Myrmarachne cf ramosa South East Asia

Myrmarachne assimilis is the only Myrmarachne species that resembles the aggressive weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina, with which it lives in close contact. Cosmophasis bitaeniata uses chemical mimicry to be accepted by the same ant species. It is suggested that M. assimilis uses a similar technique. Thus, its ant mimicry is twofold: in visual appearance to trick predators, but also evading to be hunted by the ants themselves.[3]

Several spiders (eg., most Myrmarachne) undergo transformational mimicry: because the spiderlings are too small to mimic the ant species the adult copies, they use other ant species as a model.

The overall body of spider myrmecomorphs is much narrower than non-mimics, which reduces the number of eggs per eggsac, compared to non-mimetic spiders of similar size. They seem to compensate by laying more eggsacs in their lifetime.

Ant-mimics usually use their first or second pair of legs to fake ant antennae, such reducing the number of functional legs to six.

Sometimes, the sexes each mimic a different model. There are also spiders where several morphs occur, each mimicking a different morph of the model ant species, or different ant species. For example, light yellow to brown morphs of Synemosyna aurantiaca mimic Pseudomyrmex flavidulus and P. oculatus, while black morphs mimic P. gracilis and P. sericeus.

In Micrathena, only males and juveniles resemble ants. This may be mimesis rather than mimicry.

It should be noted that even within a closely related group of taxa ant mimicry might have originated several times independently. This is demonstrated in the Salticidae subfamily Ballinae

80% of spiders with Batesian mimicry mimic ants, comprising more than 100 species. Ant-mimicking spiders can be found in the following spider families:

Araneidae (e.g. Micrathena)
Corinnidae (e.g. Apochinoma, Castianeira, Myrmecium, Corinna vertebrata, Mazax pax, M. spinosa, Myrmecotypus, Sphecotypus, Otacilia, Phrurolithus)
Dysderidae (Harpactea hombergi preys on ants, behavioral mimic, not morphological)
Eresidae (Seothyra schreineri males mimic small Camponotus castes)
Gnaphosidae (e.g. Micaria, Callilepis nocturna)
Prodidomidae (Myandra)
Linyphiidae (Linyphia furtiva, Meioneta beata)
Oonopidae (Diblemma donisthorpei mimics Wasmannia auropunctata)
Salticidae (e.g. Agorius, Augustaea, Belippo, Bocus, Chalcolecta, Consingis, Corcovetella, Cosmophasis, Enoplomischus, Judalana, Leptorchestes, Martella, Marengo, Myrmarachne, Paradamoetas cara, Peckhamia picata, Philates, Sadies, Sarinda, Synageles, Synagelides, Synemosyna, Tutelina, Uluella, Zuniga)
Theridiidae (e.g. Anatea formicaria, Cerocida strigosa, Coleosoma floridanum (only males), Coleosoma acutiventer, Helvibis brasiliana, H. chilensis, Heleosoma floridanum, Melychiopharis cynips, Cerocida strigosa)
Thomisidae (e.g. Amyciaea, Aphantochilus, Bucranium, Strophius nigricans)
Zodariidae (e.g. Storena, Zodarion)

Some spiders (e.g. Zodariidae or some Myrmarachne) use their ant disguise to hunt ants, although most use their disguise to escape predators. In salticids, the latter can be discerned from the ants from the movements they make in order to keep the ants at an acceptable distance. Ant hunters often do not resemble ants as much.

Ant mimicry is mimicry of ants by other organisms. Ants are abundant all over the world, and insect predators that rely on vision to identify their prey such as birds and wasps normally avoid them, either because they are unpalatable, or aggressive. Thus some other arthropods mimic ants to escape predation (protective mimicry). Conversely, some species (e.g. Zodariidae spiders) use their anatomical and behavioral ant mimicry to hunt ants (aggressive mimicry). Other cases are also known.[1] The term myrmecomorphy is also used to describe ant mimicry.

Ants are the most abundant group of insects and have powerful defense mechanisms such as acid taste, aggressive biting, painful sting, and group defense.

Ants are generally not subject to predation. They are the ideal models in mimicry rings. Many insects and spiders have different ways to resemble ants. This is known as Myrmecomorphy.

Myrmecomorphy highlights an important aspect of mimicry - the behavior. Predators use different aspects of prey appearance when making a decision to attack. Behavior is an important part of multi-modal signals. Constant waving of antennae is a common feature of ants. Ants are also characterized by their jerky and zigzag movements. Those ants behavior are commonly seen in the ant mimics.

Followings are Ants Mimicry Spiders. ALL of them are NOT ants but spiders.

The more common Mymarachne species have a long waist (pedicel) and an elongated cephalothorax with a constriction dividing the higher cephalic region and the lower thoraxix part. The jaws of Myrmarachne spider, especially the males, are enormously enlarged and project in front making the spider appear to be a soldier ant.

These Jumping Spiders assume the appearance of an ant by having long and slender legs. These spiders' fore-legs are often raised in the air like a pair of antennae of the ant.

By mimicking ants, the spiders deceive their ant-models and prey either on the ants themselves, or on the homopteran bugs "tended" by the ants.

And by copying the physical appearance of ants, the ant-mimicking Jumping Spiders are for self-protection, since spider-hunting wasps, birds and other spider-predators generally avoid ants which secrete the distasteful formic acid when attacked.

All images of Ant mimicry spiders in this page are taken in Sabah, Malaysia.

Genus : Myrmarachne Antmimicking spiders

(蠅虎科Family : Salticidae)
(蟻蛛屬)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_mimicry

Genus : Myrmarachne
Antmimicking spiders

Myrmarachne is a genus of jumping spiders which imitate an ant by waving their front legs in the air to simulate antennae. Some species also look strikingly like ants.
Spiders in this genus are commonly called antmimicking spiders, although there are many other spiders that mimic ants.

80% of spiders with Batesian mimicry mimic ants, comprising more than 100 species. Ant-mimicking spiders can be found in the following spider families:

	Ant-mimicking Spider Family :	Ant-mimicking Spider Species :
1	Araneidae	(e.g. Micrathena)
2	Corinnidae	(e.g. Apochinoma, Castianeira, Myrmecium, Corinna vertebrata, Mazax pax, M. spinosa, Myrmecotypus, Sphecotypus, Otacilia, Phrurolithus)
3	Dysderidae	(Harpactea hombergi preys on ants, behavioral mimic, not morphological)
4	Eresidae	(Seothyra schreineri males mimic small Camponotus castes)
5	Gnaphosidae	(e.g. Micaria, Callilepis nocturna)
6	Prodidomidae	(Myandra)
7	Linyphiidae	(Linyphia furtiva, Meioneta beata)
8	Oonopidae	(Diblemma donisthorpei mimics Wasmannia auropunctata)
9	Salticidae	(e.g. Agorius, Augustaea, Belippo, Bocus, Chalcolecta, Consingis, Corcovetella, Cosmophasis, Enoplomischus, Judalana, Leptorchestes, Martella, Marengo, Myrmarachne, Paradamoetas cara, Peckhamia picata, Philates, Sadies, Sarinda, Synageles, Synagelides, Synemosyna, Tutelina, Uluella, Zuniga)
10	Theridiidae	(e.g. Anatea formicaria, Cerocida strigosa, Coleosoma floridanum (only males), Coleosoma acutiventer, Helvibis brasiliana, H. chilensis, Heleosoma floridanum, Melychiopharis cynips, Cerocida strigosa)
11	Thomisidae	(e.g. Amyciaea, Aphantochilus, Bucranium, Strophius nigricans)
12	Zodariidae	(e.g. Storena, Zodarion)

These Jumping Spiders assume the appearance of an ant by having long and slender legs. These spiders' fore-legs are often raised in the air like a pair of antennae of the ant.

By mimicking ants, the spiders deceive their ant-models and prey either on the ants themselves, or on the homopteran bugs "tended" by the ants.

All images of Ant mimicry spiders in this page are taken in Sabah, Malaysia.

Ants are the most abundant group of insects and have powerful defense mechanisms such as acid taste, aggressive biting, painful sting, and group defense.

Family : Salticidae
Genus: Myrmarachne

Myrmarachne is a genus of jumping spiders which imitate an ant by waving their front legs in the air to simulate antennae. Some species also look strikingly like ants.

Spiders in this genus are commonly called antmimicking spiders, although there are many other spiders that mimic ants.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/jumpingspider