Myrmarachne colombiana This is the first species of ant-mimicking spider discovered in Colombian copal.
“Ants are particularly well-suited for spiders to pretend to be ants,” said George Poyner Jr., a professor at Oregon State University. “Many animals find them unpalatable or dangerous to eat.” said.
“Ants are aggressive to protect themselves. They have strong bites and stinging venom, and can call on dozens of nestmates as allies.”
“Spiders, on the other hand, have no chemical defenses and are solitary, making them vulnerable to predators that want to avoid them, such as larger spiders, bees, and birds. So if spiders could become like ants, There is a high possibility that it will not be used.”
Myrmarachne colombiana It was discovered in a type of fossilized resin known as copal.
“Copal is a less mature form of fossilized resin than amber, which is typically more than 25 million years old. Still, copal can be up to 3 million years old.” Professor Poyner said.
“However, we were unable to determine the age of the resin in this case.”
“The resin blocks I was working with came from Medellin, Colombia, and were too small to perform aging tests without risking harming the spiders inside.”
According to the study, there are currently no records of living ant-mimicking spiders living in Colombia.
“For spiders, this magical transformation into ants is difficult to achieve. Ants have six legs and two long antennae, whereas spiders have eight legs, but only one antennae. “No,” Professor Poyner said.
“To get around these anatomical differences, spiders typically arrange their two front legs in a way that approximates the appearance of antennae.”
“But the number of legs and the presence or absence of antennae are not the only features that distinguish ants from spiders.”
“In spiders, the abdomen and cephalothorax are closely attached, whereas in ants these body parts are separated by narrow areas called petioles.”
“And there are many other small-scale structures that need to be modified to bring spiders closer to ants.” We say it starts with mutation, adaptation, and natural selection.”
“But I think spider reasoning and intelligence are also involved, because spiders often model the subsequent body changes of certain ants in the same environment.”
“In the early days, it was said that all insect behavior was the result of instinct, but this is no longer the case.”
“Some spider groups have developed the ability to look and behave like different types of ants, he added. Spiders that try to blend in with other insects, such as flies, beetles and wasps. There are some too.”
“Most of the mimic spiders belong to the few families that hunt, such as Jumping spiders and Jumping spiders. The Colombian copal specimen looks like a jumping spider.”
“Mimetic spiders also belong to the families Coringidae (Arachnidae), Tomisidae (Flower spiders), and Zodariidae (Arachidae or Arachnidae).”
of study It was published in the magazine historical biology.
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George Poyner. Myrmarachne colombiana sp. n. (Araneidae: Salticidae), a new species of ant-like spider that lives on copal from Colombia, South America. historical biology, published online March 7, 2024. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2320190
Source: www.sci.news
