''Amyciaea'' is a genus of ant mimicking

crab spiders The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of th ...

that was first described by

Eugène Louis Simon Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".weaver ants, their preferred prey.

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.

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.

Species

it contains five species, found in Africa, Asia, and Oceania: *''

Amyciaea albomaculata ''Amyciaea'' is a genus of ant mimicking crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1885. They mimic weaver ants, their preferred prey. Description Spiders in this genus are generally around 5mm in length. They don't hav ...

'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) –

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, New Guinea *''

Amyciaea forticeps ''Amyciaea'' is a genus of ant mimicking crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1885. They mimic weaver ants, their preferred prey. Description Spiders in this genus are generally around 5mm in length. They don't hav ...

'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873) (

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

) – India, China to Malaysia *''

Amyciaea hesperia ''Amyciaea'' is a genus of Ant mimicry, ant mimicking Thomisidae, crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon, Eugène Louis Simon in 1885. They mimic weaver ants, their preferred prey. Description Spiders in this genus are generally ...

'' Simon, 1895 – Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast *''

Amyciaea lineatipes ''Amyciaea'' is a genus of ant mimicking crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1885. They mimic weaver ants, their preferred prey. Description Spiders in this genus are generally around 5mm in length. They don't hav ...

'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901 – Singapore, Indonesia (

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

) *''

Amyciaea orientalis ''Amyciaea'' is a genus of ant mimicking crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1885. They mimic weaver ants, their preferred prey. Description Spiders in this genus are generally around 5mm in length. They don't hav ...

'' Simon, 1909 – Vietnam

Distribution

''Amyciaea'' species are found in the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s of Africa,

Southern Asia Southern Asia may refer to: * South Asia, a geopolitical macroregion of SAARC countries * Southern Asia, a geographical subregion in Asia spanning the Iranian Plateau and the Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the phy ...

, New Guinea and

References

External links

Picture of ''A. albomaculata''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q660048 Araneomorphae genera Spiders of Africa Spiders of Asia Spiders of Australia Thomisidae