We describe the mimetic relationship between the ant-like spider Myrmecotypus iguazu Rubio & Arbino 2009 (Araneae: Corinnidae) and the carpenter ant Camponotus sericeiventris Guérin (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), studied in a subtropical rainforest in Iguazú National Park, Argentina. The morphological adaptations, aspects of coloration, and behavior responsible for the ant-like appearance in M. iguazu (the mimic) provide strong evidence that its model is C. sericeiventris. Both field observations and field and laboratory experiments suggest that this spider is a Batesian mimic.
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1 November 2013
Ant mimicry in the spider Myrmecotypus iguazu (Araneae: Corinnidae), with notes about myrmecomorphy in spiders
Gonzalo D. Rubio,
Manuel O. Arbino,
Paula E. Cushing
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The Journal of Arachnology
Vol. 41 • No. 3
November 2013
Vol. 41 • No. 3
November 2013
Ant-like spider
Batesian mimics
behavior
mimetic relationship
Paranaense rainforest