Myrmarachne

Myrmarachne
	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
Type species
	Myrmarachne melanocephala; MacLeay, 1839
Species
	See text.
Synonyms
	Bizonella Strand, 1929 ; Emertonius Peckham & Peckham, 1892 ; Panachraesta Simon 1900 ;

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.

Description

The cephalothorax is elongated, with long chelicerae projecting forward in males. A waist is present on the cephalothorax, and often also on the opisthosoma. Colors vary from black to yellow, depending on the mimicked ant species. One African species was observed to mimick one species when immature, and another as an adult.^[2]

The genus Bocus is so similar to Myrmarachne as to be indistinguishable without the help of a microscope.^[2]

Distribution

Myrmarachne mainly occurs in the tropics from Africa to Australia, with some species found in the New World. A few species, such as the palearctic M. formicaria, occur in temperate regions. With about 80 described and many undescribed southeast Asian species, it is the most diverse genus of jumping spider in this region.^[2]

Name

The genus name is a combination of Ancient Greek myrmex "ant" and arachne "spider".

Species

As of November 2015^[update], the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species:^[1]

Myrmarachne acromegalis Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Thailand, Borneo
Myrmarachne acutidens Yamasaki & Edwards, 2013 – Indonesia
Myrmarachne albocincta (C. L. Koch, 1846) – USA
Myrmarachne albosetosa Wanless, 1978 – South Africa
Myrmarachne alticephalon Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Sumatra, Borneo
Myrmarachne alticeps (Thorell, 1890) – Java
Myrmarachne andrewi Wanless, 1978 – Congo, Angola
Myrmarachne andringitra Wanless, 1978 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne angusta (Thorell, 1877) – China to Sulawesi
Myrmarachne annandalei Simon, 1901 – Malaysia
Myrmarachne assimilis Banks, 1930 – Borneo, Philippines
Myrmarachne attenuata (Karsch, 1880) – Philippines
Myrmarachne attenuata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901) – Singapore
Myrmarachne augusta (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Madagascar
Myrmarachne aurantiaca Benjamin, 2015 – Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne aurea Ceccarelli, 2010 – Northern Territory, Queensland
Myrmarachne aureonigra Edmunds & Prószyński, 2003 – Malaysia, Singapore
Myrmarachne bakeri Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne balinese Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 – Bali
Myrmarachne bamakoi Berland & Millot, 1941 – Mali
Myrmarachne bicolor (L. Koch, 1879) – Queensland
Myrmarachne bicurvata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) – Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne bicuspidata Yamasaki, 2012 – Sulawesi
Myrmarachne bidentata Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne biseratensis Badcock, 1918 – Malaysia, Borneo
Myrmarachne borneensis Peckham & Peckham, 1907 – Borneo
Myrmarachne brasiliensis Mello-Leitão, 1922 – Brazil
Myrmarachne brevicehlicera Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
Myrmarachne brevis Xiao, 2002 – China
Myrmarachne calcuttaensis Biswas, 1984 – India
Myrmarachne caliraya Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – India, Philippines
Myrmarachne capito (Thorell, 1890) – Java
Myrmarachne centralis (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Mexico to Panama
Myrmarachne chapmani Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne chickeringi Galiano, 1969 – Panama
Myrmarachne christae (Prószyński, 2001) – Borneo
Myrmarachne circulus Xiao & Wang, 2004 – China
Myrmarachne clavigera (Thorell, 1877) – Sulawesi
Myrmarachne cognata (L. Koch, 1879) – New South Wales, Victoria
Myrmarachne collarti Roewer, 1965 – Congo, Uganda
Myrmarachne concava Zhu et al., 2005 – China
Myrmarachne confusa Wanless, 1978 – Angola, São Tomé
Myrmarachne consobrina Denis, 1955 – Niger
Myrmarachne constricta (Blackwall, 1877) – Seychelles
Myrmarachne cornuta Badcock, 1918 – Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo
Myrmarachne corpuzrarosae Barrion, 1981 – Philippines
Myrmarachne cowani (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Madagascar
Myrmarachne crassembolus Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
Myrmarachne cuneata Badcock, 1918 – Malaysia
Myrmarachne cuprea (Hogg, 1896) – Central Australia
Myrmarachne cyrtodens Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
Myrmarachne debilis (Thorell, 1890) – Java
Myrmarachne decorata Reimoser, 1927 – Sumatra
Myrmarachne diegoensis Wanless, 1978 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne dilatata (Karsch, 1880) – Malawi
Myrmarachne dirangicus Bastawade, 2002 – India
Myrmarachne dishani Benjamin, 2015 – Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne dubia (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Philippines
Myrmarachne dundoensis Wanless, 1978 – Angola, Kenya, Botswana
Myrmarachne edentata Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1996 – Caroline Is., Mariana Is.
Myrmarachne edentula (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Philippines
Myrmarachne edwardsi Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1996 – Caroline Is.
Myrmarachne eidmanni Roewer, 1942 – Bioko, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo
Myrmarachne electrica (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Madagascar
Myrmarachne elongata Szombathy, 1915 – Africa to Japan
Myrmarachne endoi Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
Myrmarachne epigealis Yamasaki & Edwards, 2013 – Indonesia
Myrmarachne erythrocephala (L. Koch, 1879) – Queensland
Myrmarachne eugenei Wanless, 1978 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne eumenes (Simon, 1900) – Madagascar
Myrmarachne evidens Roewer, 1965 – Congo
Myrmarachne exasperans (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Java, Philippines
Myrmarachne foenisex Simon, 1910 – West, Central Africa
Myrmarachne foreli Lessert, 1925 – Angola, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa
Myrmarachne formica (Doleschall, 1859) – Amboina
Myrmarachne formicaria (De Geer, 1778) – Palearctic, USA (introduced)
Myrmarachne formosa (Thorell, 1890) – Sumatra, Sulawesi
Myrmarachne formosana (Matsumura, 1911) – Taiwan
Myrmarachne formosana (Saito, 1933) – Taiwan
Myrmarachne formosicola Strand, 1910 – Taiwan
Myrmarachne galianoae Cutler, 1981 – Bolivia
Myrmarachne gedongensis Badcock, 1918 – Malaysia, Borneo
Myrmarachne giltayi Roewer, 1965 – Congo, Angola, Kenya
Myrmarachne gisti Fox, 1937 – China, Vietnam
Myrmarachne glavisi Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 – Bali
Myrmarachne globosa Wanless, 1978 – Angola to Vietnam
Myrmarachne grossa Edmunds & Prószyński, 2003 – Malaysia
Myrmarachne guaranitica Galiano, 1969 – Argentina
Myrmarachne gurgulla Ceccarelli, 2010 – Queensland
Myrmarachne hesperia (Simon, 1887) – Bioko, West Africa
Myrmarachne hidaspis Caporiacco, 1935 – Karakorum
Myrmarachne himalayensis Narayan, 1915 – India
Myrmarachne hirsutipalpi Edmunds & Prószyński, 2003 – Malaysia, Singapore, Bali
Myrmarachne hispidacoxa Edmunds & Prószyński, 2003 – Malaysia
Myrmarachne hoffmanni Strand, 1913 – China
Myrmarachne ichneumon (Simon, 1886) – Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, South Africa
Myrmarachne imbellis (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne incerta Narayan, 1915 – India
Myrmarachne inermichelis Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – Russia, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
Myrmarachne inflatipalpis Wanless, 1978 – Botswana, Malawi, South Africa
Myrmarachne iridescens Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne isolata Clark & Benoit, 1977 – St. Helena
Myrmarachne jacksoni Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 – Bali
Myrmarachne jacobsoni Reimoser, 1925 – Sumatra
Myrmarachne jajpurensis Prószyński, 1992 – India
Myrmarachne japonica (Karsch, 1879) – Russia, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
Myrmarachne jugularis Simon, 1901 – Australia
Myrmarachne kiboschensis Lessert, 1925 – Botswana to Vietnam
Myrmarachne kilifi Wanless, 1978 – Kenya, Tanzania
Myrmarachne kitale Wanless, 1978 – Kenya
Myrmarachne kochi Reimoser, 1925 – Malaysia, Sumatra, Indonesia
Myrmarachne kuwagata Yaginuma, 1967 – China, Korea, Japan
Myrmarachne laeta (Thorell, 1887) – India, Pakistan, Nias Is., China
Myrmarachne laeta flava Narayan, 1915 – India
Myrmarachne laeta praelonga (Thorell, 1890) – Myanmar
Myrmarachne lambirensis Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Java, Borneo
Myrmarachne latithoracica Yamasaki & Hung, 2012 – Ryukyu Is., Okinawa
Myrmarachne laurentina Bacelar, 1953 – Mozambique, South Africa
Myrmarachne lawrencei Roewer, 1965 – Gabon, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia
Myrmarachne legon Wanless, 1978 – Ghana, Ivory Coast
Myrmarachne leleupi Wanless, 1978 – South Africa
Myrmarachne leptognatha (Thorell, 1890) – Java
Myrmarachne lesserti Lawrence, 1938 – South Africa
Myrmarachne linguiensis Zhang & Song, 1992 – China
Myrmarachne longiventris (Simon, 1903) – Madagascar
Myrmarachne luachimo Wanless, 1978 – Angola
Myrmarachne luctuosa (L. Koch, 1879) – New South Wales
Myrmarachne ludhianaensis Sadana & Gupta, 1998 – India
Myrmarachne lugens (Thorell, 1881) – Moluccas
Myrmarachne lugubris (Kulczyński, 1895) – Russia, China, Korea
Myrmarachne lulengana Roewer, 1965 – Ethiopia, Congo, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa
Myrmarachne lulengensis Roewer, 1965 – Congo
Myrmarachne lupata (L. Koch, 1879) – Queensland
Myrmarachne macleayana (Bradley, 1876) – Queensland
Myrmarachne macrognatha (Thorell, 1894) – Java, Flores
Myrmarachne magna Saito, 1933 – Taiwan
Myrmarachne mahasoa Wanless, 1978 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne malayana Edmunds & Prószyński, 2003 – Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo
Myrmarachne mandibularis (Thorell, 1890) – Java
Myrmarachne manducator (Westwood, 1841) – India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sumatra
Myrmarachne mariaelenae Edwards & Benjamin, 2009 – Borneo
Myrmarachne markaha Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Borneo, Philippines
Myrmarachne marshalli Peckham & Peckham, 1903 – Africa
Myrmarachne maxillosa (C. L. Koch, 1846) – Southeast Asia to Philippines, Sulawesi
Myrmarachne maxillosa septemdentata Strand, 1907 – China
Myrmarachne mcgregori Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne megachelae Ganesh Kumar & Mohanasundaram, 1998 – India
Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839^T – Pakistan to Indonesia
Myrmarachne melanotarsa Wesolowska & Salm, 2002 – Kenya
Myrmarachne militaris Szombathy, 1913 – West, Central, East Africa
Myrmarachne mocamboensis Galiano, 1974 – Brazil
Myrmarachne moesta (Thorell, 1877) – Sulawesi
Myrmarachne morningside Benjamin, 2015 – Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne mussungue Wanless, 1978 – Angola
Myrmarachne myrmicaeformis (Lucas, 1871) – Algeria
Myrmarachne naro Wanless, 1978 – Kenya
Myrmarachne natalica Lessert, 1925 – South Africa
Myrmarachne nemorensis (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Myanmar
Myrmarachne nigella Simon, 1901 – Philippines
Myrmarachne nigeriensis Wanless, 1978 – São Tomé, Ghana, Nigeria, Angola
Myrmarachne nigra (Thorell, 1877) – Sulawesi
Myrmarachne nitidissima (Thorell, 1877) – Borneo, Sulawesi
Myrmarachne nubilis Wanless, 1978 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne onceana Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Myrmarachne opaca (Karsch, 1880) – Borneo, Philippines
Myrmarachne palladia Denis, 1958 – Afghanistan
Myrmarachne paludosa (Simon, 1900) – Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne panamensis Galiano, 1969 – Panama, Argentina
Myrmarachne parallela (Fabricius, 1798) – Nicaragua, Panama
Myrmarachne patellata Strand, 1907 – China
Myrmarachne paviei (Simon, 1886) – Thailand
Myrmarachne peckhami Roewer, 1951 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne pectorosa (Thorell, 1890) – Sumatra
Myrmarachne pectorosa sternodes (Thorell, 1890) – Sumatra
Myrmarachne penicillata Mello-Leitão, 1933 – Brazil
Myrmarachne piercei Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne pinakapalea Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Myrmarachne pinoysorum Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Myrmarachne pisarskii Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1996 – Caroline Is.
Myrmarachne plataleoides (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) – India, Sri Lanka, China, Southeast Asia
Myrmarachne platypalpa Bradoo, 1980 – India
Myrmarachne poonaensis Tikader, 1973 – India
Myrmarachne prava (Karsch, 1880) – India, Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne prognatha (Thorell, 1887) – Myanmar
Myrmarachne pumilio (Karsch, 1880) – Bangladesh, Borneo, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam
Myrmarachne pygmaea (Thorell, 1894) – Singapore
Myrmarachne radiata (Thorell, 1894) – Java
Myrmarachne ramunni Narayan, 1915 – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne ransoni Wanless, 1978 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne rhopalota (Thorell, 1895) – Myanmar
Myrmarachne richardsi Wanless, 1978 – Ghana
Myrmarachne robusta (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – India, Myanmar
Myrmarachne roeweri Reimoser, 1934 – India
Myrmarachne rubra Ceccarelli, 2010 – Queensland
Myrmarachne rufescens (Thorell, 1877) – Sulawesi
Myrmarachne rufisquei Berland & Millot, 1941 – Senegal
Myrmarachne russellsmithi Wanless, 1978 – Nigeria
Myrmarachne sabahna Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013 – Borneo
Myrmarachne satarensis Narayan, 1915 – India
Myrmarachne schenkeli Peng & Li, 2002 – Hong Kong
Myrmarachne seriatis Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne shelfordi Peckham & Peckham, 1907 – Borneo
Myrmarachne simoni (L. Koch, 1879) – Queensland
Myrmarachne simonis (Herman, 1879) – Hungary, Croatia, Romania
Myrmarachne simplexella Roewer, 1951 – Madagascar
Myrmarachne smaragdina Ceccarelli, 2010 – Northern Territory, Queensland
Myrmarachne solitaria Peckham & Peckham, 1903 – South Africa, Lesotho
Myrmarachne spissa (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Sri Lanka
Myrmarachne striatipes (L. Koch, 1879) – Queensland, New South Wales
Myrmarachne sumana Galiano, 1974 – Brazil
Myrmarachne tagalica Banks, 1930 – Philippines
Myrmarachne tamsuiensis Yamasaki, 2013 – Taiwan
Myrmarachne tayabasana Chamberlin, 1925 – Philippines
Myrmarachne thaii Zabka, 1985 – Vietnam
Myrmarachne transversa (Mukerjee, 1930) – India
Myrmarachne tristis (Simon, 1882) – Libya to India
Myrmarachne turriformis Badcock, 1918 – Laos, Malaysia
Myrmarachne uelensis Wanless, 1978 – Congo
Myrmarachne uniseriata Narayan, 1915 – India
Myrmarachne uvira Wanless, 1978 – Ghana, Nigeria, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Ethiopia
Myrmarachne vanessae Wanless, 1978 – Ivory Coast, Tanzania
Myrmarachne vehemens Fox, 1937 – China
Myrmarachne vestita (Thorell, 1895) – Myanmar
Myrmarachne volatilis (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) – Madagascar, China, Vietnam
Myrmarachne vulgarisa Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
Myrmarachne wanlessi Edmunds & Prószyński, 2003 – Malaysia
Myrmarachne yamanei Yamasaki, 2012 – Sulawesi

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Gen. Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2015-11-13
^ ^a ^b ^c Murphy & Murphy 2000: 304

References

Murphy, Frances & Murphy, John (2000). An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society.

External links

[WSC_g2803-1] "Gen. Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2015-11-13

[murphy304-2] Murphy & Murphy 2000: 304

[1]

[2]