Ants are abundant all over the world, and insect predators that rely on vision to identify their prey such as birds and wasps normally avoid them, either because they are unpalatable, or aggressive. Thus some other arthropods mimic ants to escape predation (Batesian mimicry). Subfamilies Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Aneuretinae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dolichoderinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicinae Leptanillinae Leptanilloidinae Myrmeciinae Myrmicinae Nothomyrmeciinae Ponerinae Pseudomyrmecinae Ants are one of the most successful groups of insects in the animal kingdom. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Suborder Symphyta Apocrita See text for families. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... For other uses, see Mimic (disambiguation). ...

Some species (e.g. Zodariidae spiders) use their anatomical and behavioral ant mimicry to hunt ants.

Spiders

Ant mimic jumping spider (Salticidae)

80% of spiders with Batesian mimicry mimic ants, comprising more than 100 species. Ant-mimicking spiders can be found in the following spider families: Diversity 111 families, 40,000 species Suborders Mesothelae Mygalomorphae Araneomorphae  See Table of Families Wikispecies has information related to: Spiders A South-American Argiope Spiders are predatory invertebrate animals with two body segments, eight legs, no chewing mouth parts and no wings. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (921x574, 55 KB) Summary Ant mimic spider Bangalore. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (921x574, 55 KB) Summary Ant mimic spider Bangalore. ... Genera Bagheera Corythalia Eris Freya Ghelna Habronattus Hentzia Lyssomanes Maevia Marpissa Messua Metacyrba Naphrys Paramarpissa Paraphidippus Phidippus Portia Salticus Sarinda Sassacus Sitticus Synemosyna Thiodina Zygoballus and many others The jumping spiders (Salticidae) are a family of spiders containing more than 4,000 species. ...

• Araneidae (e.g. Micrathena)
• Corinnidae (e.g. Apochinoma, Castianeira, Myrmecium, Corinna vertebrata, Mazax pax, M. spinosa, Myrmecotypus, Sphecotypus, Otacilia, Phrurolithus)
• Dysderidae (Harpactea hombergi preys on ants, behavioral mimic, not morphological)
• Eresidae (Seothyra schreineri males mimic small Camponotus castes)
• Gnaphosidae (e.g. Micaria, Callilepis nocturna)
• Linyphiidae (Linyphia furtiva, Meioneta beata)
• Oonopidae (Diblemma donisthorpei mimics Wasmannia auropunctata)
• Salticidae (e.g. Belippo, Bocus, Consingis, Corcovetella, Enoplomischus, Leptorchestes, Martella, Myrmarachne, Paradamoetas cara, Peckhamia picata, Sarinda, Synageles, Synemosyna, Tutelina, Uluella, Zuniga)
• Theridiidae (e.g. Anatea formicaria, Cerocida strigosa, Coleosoma floridanum (only males), Coleosoma acutiventer, Helvibis brasiliana, H. chilensis, Heleosoma floridanum, Melychiopharis cynips, Cerocida strigosa)
• Thomisidae (e.g. Amyciaea, Aphantochilus, Bucranium, Strophius nigricans)
• Zodariidae (e.g. Storena, Zodarion)

Some spiders (e.g. Zodariidae) also use their ant disguise to hunt ants. The overall body of spider myrmecomorphs is much narrower than non-mimics, which reduces the number of eggs per eggsac, compared to non-mimetic spiders of similar size. They seem to compensate by laying more eggsacs in their lifetime. Ant-mimics usually use their first or second pair of legs to fake ant antennae, such reducing the number of functional legs to six. Genera many, see text The orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) are the familiar builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. ... Genera Castianeira Corinna Mazax Meriola Myrmecium Myrmecotypus Phrurolithus Phrurotimpus Trachelas The corinnid sac spiders (family Corinnidae), like the other clubionoid families, have a very confusing taxonomic history. ... Genera Cryptoparachtes Dasumia Dysdera Dysderocrates Folkia Harpactea Harpactocrates Holissus Hygrocrates Kaemis Mesostalita Minotauria Parachtes Parastalita Rhode Rhodera Sardostalita Speleoharpactea Stalagtia Stalita Stalitella Stalitochara Tedia The woodlouse hunters, sowbug-eating spiders or cell spiders, family Dysderidae, are araneomorph spiders found primarily in Eurasia, though extending into North Africa Dysderids have six... Genera Eresus Gandanomeno Stegodyphus The velvet spiders (family Eresidae) are a small group (about 100 species in 10 genera) of almost totally Old World spiders (exception: a few species are known from Brazil). ... Genera Cesonia Drassodes Gnaphosa Micaria Zelotes The ground spiders (family Gnaphosidae) include nearly 2000 species in over 100 genera worldwide. ... Genera many, see text The bowl and doily and dwarf spiders, also known as money spiders (family Linyphiidae) include nearly 4250 species in over 550 genera worldwide. ... Genera Oonops Gamasomorpha Scaphiella Orchestina The oonopid spiders (family Oonopidae) include about 450 species in about 65 genera worldwide. ... Genera Bagheera Corythalia Eris Freya Ghelna Habronattus Hentzia Lyssomanes Maevia Marpissa Messua Metacyrba Naphrys Paramarpissa Paraphidippus Phidippus Portia Salticus Sarinda Sassacus Sitticus Synemosyna Thiodina Zygoballus and many others The jumping spiders (Salticidae) are a family of spiders containing more than 4,000 species. ... A species of jumping spider which imitates and ant by waving its front legs in the air to simulate antennae. ... Species see text Zuniga is a spider genus of the Salticidae family (jumping spiders). ... Genera Latrodectus Argyrodes Theridion Steatoda The tangle-web spiders or comb-footed spiders (family Theridiidae) are a large group (over 2000 species in nearly 80 genera) of haphazard web-builders found throughout the world. ... Diversity 2 species Binomial name Cerocida ducke Marques & Buckup, 1989 Cerocida strigosa Simon, 1894 Species See text. ... Genera Misumena Misumenops Misumenoides Thomisius Xysticus Tmarus The true crab spiders are a group of spiders constituting the family Thomisidae or thomisids. ... In Greek mythology, Strophius was a King of Phocis and father of Pylades. ... Genera Akyttara Amphiledorus Antillorena Asceua Aschma Australutica Basasteron Caesetius Capheris Cavasteron Chariobas Lutica Madrela Neostorena Palfuria Storena Zodarion and many others The Zodaraiid ground spiders, family Zodaraiidae, are a family of small to medium-sized spiders. ...

Several spiders (eg., most Myrmarachne) undergo transformational mimicry: because the spiderlings are too small to mimic the ant species the adult copies, they use other ant species as a model.

Sometimes, the sexes each mimic a different model. There are also spiders where several morphs occur, each mimicking a different morph of the model ant species, or different ant species. For example, light yellow to brown morphs of Synemosyna aurantiaca mimic Pseudomyrmex flavidulus and P. oculatus, while black morphs mimic P. gracilis and P. sericeus.

In Micrathena, only males and juveniles resemble ants. This may be mimosis rather than mimicry.

Diptera

Unidentified fly ant mimic

There are several fly species that look like an ant, at times stunningly so. Suborders Nematocera(Eudiptera) Brachycera Green Bottle Fly Flesh Fly Fannia a Lesser House Fly (unidentified species) Dolichopodidae (unidentified species) Diptera (di - two, ptera – wings), or true flies, is the order of insects in which the hind wings are reduced to halteres. ...

Hemiptera

Among the bugs, the wingless Myrmecoris gracilis looks like an ant and feeds on ant larvae. Suborders Heteroptera Homoptera Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising some 67,500 known species in two suborders, Heteroptera and Homoptera. ...

Pithanus maerkeli roughly resembles an ant.

Beetles

Many parasitic Staphilinidae that march with army ants strikingly resemble their hosts. An outstanding example is Ecitomorpha nevermanni, whose color varies to match the color variation of its host Eciton burchelli. Since Eciton army ants have poor vision, this is probably an example of Batesian mimicry to escape predation by vertebrates. Suborders Adephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera Wikispecies has information related to: Coleoptera Beetles are the most diverse group of insects. ... There are over 200 known species of army ant, divided into New World and Old World types. ...

The Anthicidae are also ant-like in appearance. Genera about 100 genera The ant-like flower beetles are a family Anthicidae (Latreille 1819) of beetles that bear a striking resemblance to ants. ...

Mites

The phoretic mite Planodiscus attaches itself to the tibia of its host Eciton hamatum. The cuticula sculpturing of the mite's body is nearly identical to that of the ant's leg. Families Tetranychidae - Spider mites Eriophyidae - Gall mites Sarcoptidae - Sarcoptic Mange mites The mites and ticks, order Acarina or Acari, belong to the Arachnida and are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups, although some way behind the insects. ...

References

• Komárek S. 1998. Mimicry, aposematism and related phenomena in animals and plants - a bibliography 1800-1990. Prague: Vesmír.
• Cushing P.E. (1997). Myrmecomorphy and myrmecophily in spiders: a review. Fla. Entomol. 80:165–193. PDF

External links

• Very nice pictures of Coleosoma acutiventer