Ant spider
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2017) |
| Ant spiders | |
|---|---|
| |
| female Mallinella fulvipes | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Opisthothelae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Zodariidae Thorell, 1881[1] |
| Genera | |
|
See text. | |
| Diversity[2] | |
| 84 genera, 1126 species | |
| |
Ant spiders are members of the family Zodariidae. They are small to medium-sized eight-eyed spiders found world-wide in tropical to warm temperate regions, though there are relatively few species in North America.
Some zodariids are ant mimics. Although ant mimicry is quite common in spiders, the form it takes in the zodariids is unusual because, although each species bears a morphological resemblance to the species of ant that forms its prey, the resemblance is not particularly close. It is enhanced by the spider's behaviour. The spiders live in association with a nest of ants of their prey species, and use their mimicry to enter and leave the nest unmolested (if the ants detected them as intruders they would mass to repel and perhaps kill them). The spiders walk on only the three rear pairs of legs, and if they encounter an ant during their forays into the nest territory, they touch their front legs to the ant's antennae in the same way as another ant would with its own antennae. If they have already captured an ant, they then offer that towards the challenging ant, which inspects it and behaves towards the spider as if it were another ant carrying a dead conspecific away from the nest (a common behaviour among ants).
It is likely that the spiders also derive some protection against predation from their similarity to the ants, since ants are unpalatable to many species that eat spiders.
Genera
As of April 2017[update], the World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera:[1]
- Acanthinozodium Denis, 1966
- Akyttara Jocqué, 1987
- Amphiledorus Jocqué & Bosmans, 2001
- Antillorena Jocqué, 1991
- Asceua Thorell, 1887
- Aschema Jocqué, 1991
- Asteron Jocqué, 1991
- Australutica Jocqué, 1995
- Ballomma Jocqué & Henrard, 2015
- Basasteron Baehr, 2003
- Caesetius Simon, 1893
- Capheris Simon, 1893
- Cavasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2000
- Chariobas Simon, 1893
- Chilumena Jocqué, 1995
- Cicynethus Simon, 1910
- Colima Jocqué & Baert, 2005
- Cryptothele L. Koch, 1872
- Cybaeodamus Mello-Leitão, 1938
- Cydrela Thorell, 1873
- Cyrioctea Simon, 1889
- Diores Simon, 1893
- Dusmadiores Jocqué, 1987
- Epicratinus Jocqué & Baert, 2005
- Euasteron Baehr, 2003
- Euryeidon Dankittipakul & Jocqué, 2004
- Forsterella Jocqué, 1991
- Habronestes L. Koch, 1872
- Heliconilla Dankittipakul, Jocqué & Singtripop, 2012
- Heradida Simon, 1893
- Heradion Dankittipakul & Jocqué, 2004
- Hermippus Simon, 1893
- Hetaerica Rainbow, 1916
- Holasteron Baehr, 2004
- Ishania Chamberlin, 1925
- Lachesana Strand, 1932
- Leprolochus Simon, 1893
- Leptasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001
- Leviola Miller, 1970
- Lutica Marx, 1891
- Malayozodarion Ono & Hashim, 2008
- Mallinella Strand, 1906
- Mallinus Simon, 1893
- Masasteron Baehr, 2004
- Mastidiores Jocqué, 1987
- Microdiores Jocqué, 1987
- Minasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2000
- Neostorena Rainbow, 1914
- Nostera Jocqué, 1991
- Nosterella Baehr & Jocqué, 2017
- Notasteron Baehr, 2005
- Omucukia Koçak & Kemal, 2008
- Palaestina O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872
- Palfuria Simon, 1910
- Palindroma Jocqué & Henrard, 2015
- Parazodarion Ovtchinnikov, Ahmad & Gurko, 2009
- Pax Levy, 1990
- Pentasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001
- Phenasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001
- Platnickia Jocqué, 1991
- Procydrela Jocqué, 1999
- Psammoduon Jocqué, 1991
- Psammorygma Jocqué, 1991
- Pseudasteron Jocqué & Baehr, 2001
- Ranops Jocqué, 1991
- Rotundrela Jocqué, 1999
- Selamia Simon, 1873
- Spinasteron Baehr, 2003
- Storena Walckenaer, 1805
- Storenomorpha Simon, 1884
- Storosa Jocqué, 1991
- Subasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001
- Suffasia Jocqué, 1991
- Suffrica Henrard & Jocqué, 2015
- Systenoplacis Simon, 1907
- Tenedos O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897
- Thaumastochilus Simon, 1897
- Tropasteron Baehr, 2003
- Tropizodium Jocqué & Churchill, 2005
- Trygetus Simon, 1882
- Workmania Dankittipakul, Jocqué & Singtripop, 2012
- Zillimata Jocqué, 1995
- Zodariellum Andreeva & Tyschchenko, 1968
- Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826
See also
References
- ^ a b "Family Zodariidae Thorell, 1881 (genus list)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-04-28
- ^ "Currently valid spider genera and species", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-04-28
External links
- Full species and range listing available at the World Spider Catalog entry for Zodariidae
- Pictures of Zodariidae: Neostorena sp. Storena formosa S. obscura