Red weaver-ant mimicking jumper
Myrmaplata plataleoides, also called the red weaver-ant mimicking jumper, is a jumping spider that mimics the Asian weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) in morphology and behaviour. This species is found in India, Sri Lanka, China and many parts of Southeast Asia.
Unlike the weaver ants, M. plataleoides does not bite people, and indeed seems rather timid.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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starts withMyrmaplata plataleoides, especially the females, mimic weaver ants in size, shape and colour. The body of M. plataleoides appears like an ant, which has three body segments and six legs, by having constrictions on the cephalothorax and abdomen. This creates the illusion of having a distinct head, thorax and gaster of the weaver ant, complete with a long and slender waist. The large compound eyes of the weaver ant are mimicked by two black patches on the head. The female's front legs resemble the feelers of weaver ants, while the males resemble a larger ant carrying a smaller one.
The spiders live in trees and bushes where the weaver ants live in colonies. By mimicking the ants, they are able to stay close to them, thus gaining protection from predators since weaver ants taste bad and have a painful bite (Batesian mimicry). Mimicry is also achieved by stealing from the ant brood and absorbing the smell of the colony. This strategy appears to be successful. Though these spiders mimic the weaver ants very well, they are known to stay away from them. They weave a thin web on leaves, hide under their webbing and ambush their prey.
The Kerengga ant-like jumper also mimics ant-like behaviour by the style of locomotion and by waving their front legs like antennae. These jumping-spiders jump only when their safety is threatened.
