Ant Mimicking Jumping spider "Myrmarachne maxillosa&quo

[tchuanye]

Today, was at Sentosa with family, and along one of the trails, spotted this Ant Mimicking Jumping spider "Myrmarachne maxillosa"
Moving around really like an ant, and had tough time shooting it.....only when it pause, I have to take and shoot.

This is one of my fav JS cos of its mimicking nature.
From Joseph Koh's website http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/guideb...yrmarachne.htm :
"Some Jumping Spiders assume the appearance of an ant by having long and slender legs and what appears to be a three-part (head-thorax-abdomen) body of an insect. To add further to the deception, the fore-legs are often raised in the air like a pair of antennae.
Some scientists believe that by mimicking ants, the spiders deceive their ant-models and prey either on the ants themselves, or on the homopteran bugs "tended" by the ants. However, it should be noted that the ant-mimicking Jumping Spiders in Singapore have never been observed to have attacked the ants they imitate. A more plausible explanation is that by copying the physical appearance of ants, the ant-mimicking Jumping Spiders are actually buying insurance for self-protection, since spider-hunting wasps, birds and other spider-predators generally avoid ants which secrete the distasteful formic acid when attacked.

There are two genera of anti-like Jumping Spiders in Singapore. The more common Mymarachne have a long waist (pedicel) and an elongated cephalothorax with a constriction dividing the higher cephalic region and the lower thoraxix part. The jaws of Myrmarachne spider, especially the males, are enormously enlarged and project in front making the spider appear to be a soldier ant."


FZ10+Raynox 250, F8, 1/60s, ISO50, 2 diffused flash

#1:In the dark dark corner....


#2: ..out comes The Myrmarachne maxillosa


#3: It has long jaws....


#4:Ant-liked antenna for the 2 front legs....


#5:With a body like an ant....(interesting carapace btw)


#6: And 8 eyes to look at you...(you can see the small eye at the side and the rear eye too)


#7: ...with (it seems) a kind of special padding at the tip....a spider footprint?

[annie57]

Just me praising your work again!!!! Sure is a scary looking fellow when you see them close up like that. Thanks so much for sharing your macros!!!!

[rhermans]

just incredible ... and unbelievabele shot's.
Thanks for sharing Ronny

[Beth Ellen]

WOW...that is one very interesting Jumping spider! Glad you took so many angles. I have to read about this one more. Great shots as usual.

Beth Ellen
FZ5

[tinosa]

Fantastic macro work on a most interesting
critter.

Thanks for all the info, now I'm smarter
then when I got here. :-)

[d-sr]

Absolutely Fantastic Tchuanye!!! I've never seen one of your post that didn't just blow me away. I like #5 best but they all tell something about the spyder.

Don

[tcook]

Super shots and thanks for a short but good biology lesson.

[Narmer]

Simply Great

[armadilloshield]

Nice series of macros
I like #3.

[tchuanye]

Thanks fellas for your kind comments!