Amyciaea

Amyciaea is a genus of ant mimicking crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1885.[2]

Amyciaea
Amyciaea lineatipes
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Amyciaea
Simon, 1885[1]
Type species
A. forticeps
Species

5, see text

They mimic weaver ants, their preferred prey.[2]

Description

Spiders in this genus are generally around 5mm in length. They don't have the typical leg position or strong distinction between fore and hind legs typical of thomisids, instead holding the front two legs in the air to mimic antennae. The abdomen bears two dark spots which resemble the compound eyes of Weaver ants. Despite the "antennae" and "eyes" being on opposite sides of the body, the camouflage is effective enough to fool surrounding animals.[3]

Behaviour

Spiders in this genus live and build their nests in foliage, and on the twigs of trees and bushes. They hang by a silken thread at a safe distance from the ant path to avoid accidental interactions, and feed on the ants by biting their head, instantly paralysing them.

The males of this genus exhibit bridging behaviour when searching for a mate; similar to ballooning, they release a thread of silk behind them, however unlike ballooning they wait for the thread to catch on another plant part, then use it as a bridge to crawl across. This allows them to avoid travelling on the ground, where there may be predators.[3]

Species

As of June 2020 it contains five species, found in Africa, Asia, and Oceania:[1]

  • Amyciaea albomaculata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) – Australia, New Guinea
  • Amyciaea forticeps (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873) (type) – India, China to Malaysia
  • Amyciaea hesperia Simon, 1895 – Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast
  • Amyciaea lineatipes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901 – Singapore, Indonesia (Sumatra)
  • Amyciaea orientalis Simon, 1909 – Vietnam

Distribution

Amyciaea species are found in the rainforests of Africa, Southern Asia, New Guinea and Australia.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Gen. Amyciaea Simon, 1885". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2020. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  2. Simon, E. (1885). "Matériaux pour servir à la faune arachnologiques de l'Asie méridionale. III. Arachnides recueillis en 1884 dans la presqu'île de Malacca, par M. J. Morgan. IV. Arachnides recueillis à Collegal, district de Coimbatoore, par M. A. Theobald G. R". Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France. 10: 436–462.
  3. Platnick, Norman (2020). Spiders of the World: A Natural History. London: Ivy Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group. pp. 242–243. ISBN 9781782407508.

Further reading
  • Sen, S.; et al. (2015). "Spiders (Araneae: Arachnida) of Reserve Forests of Dooars: Gorumara National Park, Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary". World Scientific News. 20: 1–339.
  • Sunil Jose, K.; et al. (2003). "Description of female Amyciaea forticeps (Cambridge), Araneae: Thomisidae, with a redescription of its male from Kerala, India". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 100: 157–160.
  • Song, D. X.; Zhu, M. S.; Chen, J. (1999). The spiders of China. Hebei Science and Technology Publishing House, Shijiazhuang. p. 640.
  • Song, D. X.; Zhu, M. S. (1997). Fauna Sinica: Arachnida: Araneae: Thomisidae, Philodromidae. Science Press, Beijing. p. 259.
  • Tang, L. R.; Song, D. X. (1988). "New records of spiders of the family Thomisidae from China (Araneae)". Sichuan Journal of Zoology. 7 (3): 13–15.
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