''Amyciaea'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
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 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
A compound eye is a visual organ found in arthropods such as insects and crustaceans. It may consist of thousands of ommatidia, which are tiny independent photoreception units that consist of a cornea, lens, and photoreceptor cells which distin ...
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 Ballooning may refer to:
* Hot air ballooning
* Balloon (aeronautics)
* Ballooning (spider)
* Ballooning degeneration, a disease
* Memory ballooning
See also
* Balloon (disambiguation)
A balloon is a flexible container for (partially or fully) co ...
, 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''
(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) –
Australia, New Guinea
*''
Amyciaea forticeps''
(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873) (
type) –
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, China to Malaysia
*''
Amyciaea hesperia''
Simon, 1895 –
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
, Ivory Coast
*''
Amyciaea lineatipes''
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901 –
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
(
Sumatra)
*''
Amyciaea orientalis''
Simon, 1909 –
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
Distribution
''Amyciaea'' species are found in the
rainforests of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
Southern Asia,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
and
Australia.
See also
*
List of Thomisidae species
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 thi ...
References
Further reading
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*
External links
Picture of ''A. albomaculata''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q660048
Araneomorphae genera
Spiders of Africa
Spiders of Asia
Spiders of Australia
Thomisidae