Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 October 2021 | 13(12): 19753–19761

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7500.13.12.19753-19761

#7500 | Received 06 June 2021 | Final received 07 August 2021 | Finally accepted 26 September 2021

 

 

New record of Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 (Araneae: Salticidae) from Jharkhand, India and biogeographical implications of the co-occurrence of its ant model Tetraponera rufonigra Jerdon, 1851

 

Rahul Kumar 1, Mirtunjay Sharma 2  & Ajay Kumar Sharma 3

 

1,3 University Department of Zoology, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand 825301, India.

1 Department of Zoology, Sheodeni Sao College, Kaler, Arwal, Bihar 824127, India.

2 Forest Department Office, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand 825301, India.

1 rahuldayanand33@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 sharmamirtunjay@gmail.com, 3 ajaysharmavbu@gmail.com

 

 

 

Editor: John T.D. Caleb, ERI, Loyola College, Chennai, India.       Date of publication: 26 October 2021 (online & print)

 

Citation: Kumar, R., M. Sharma & A.K. Sharma (2021). New record of Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 (Araneae: Salticidae) from Jharkhand, India and biogeographical implications of the co-occurrence of its ant model Tetraponera rufonigra Jerdon, 1851. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(12): 19753–19761. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7500.13.12.19753-19761

 

Copyright: © Kumar et al. 2021. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author details: Rahul Kumar is working as an Assistant Professor at Department of Zoology, Sheodeni Sao College (Magadh University), Kaler, Arwal, Bihar. His doctoral research is going on from University Department of Zoology, Vinoba Bhave University, under Dr. Ajay Kumar Sharma. His doctoral work concerns with mimicry among terrestrial arthropods and new approaches to explore integrative taxonomy. He has research experience in molecular biology and functional genomics from School of Life Sciences, JNU, New Delhi as UGC-JRF; in nanotechnology and biotechnology from Department of Anatomy, AIIMS, New Delhi as DST-Nanomission JRF; and in biosystematics and integrative taxonomy from Division of Entomology, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi as DST-SERB JRF. Mirtunjay Sharma is a forest department employee, a Limca Book of World Record holder hobbyist entomologist-arachnologist and a famous nature photographer from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. He is author of the book “Spiders of Jharlkhand” published by Jharkhand Biodiversity Board. Dr. Ajay Kumar Sharma is working as Associate Professor at University Department of Zoology, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand and is also assigned with the positions of University Dean of Science and course coordinator of the Department of Physiotherapy in the same university. He has more than 40 years of research and teaching experience. His thrust areas of research are molecular biology, entomology and ecology.

 

Author contributions: Conceptualization of the research and manuscript writing was done by RK. Site visits, data collections and analyses were done by RK, MS and AKS. Manuscript was reviewed and finalized by AKS before communication. Correspondence to the journal and subsequent revisions were done by RK.

 

Acknowledgements: We acknowledge Dr. John Caleb from the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, and Miss Stuti Rai and Mr. Anand Harshana from Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Pusa, New Delhi, for sharing their valuable taxonomic insights. We also acknowledge Dr. Shashank P.R., Division of Entomology, IARI, for allowing us to use the microscopy facility of National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, IARI, for our studies. Two anonymous reviewers are thanked for their suggestions and critical comments which helped us to improve our manuscript.

 

 

 

Abstract: We report the occurrence of the ant-mimicking jumping spider Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 for the first time from Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, Jharkhand, India. Digital illustrations and descriptions of the spider, the female’s exuviae, and video records of a live male are also presented. The distribution pattern of M. melanocephala has not been studied in detail across India whereas its ant model, Tetraponera rufonigra Jerdon, 1851 is known to have a wide distribution. Co-occurrence of the mimic and the model implies a wider range of biogeographical distribution of these species in India.

 

Keywords: Distribution, eastern India, exuviae, Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, jumping spider, mimicry, myrmecomorphy.

 

Abbreviations: ALE—anterior lateral eye | AME—anterior median eye | md—mid-dorsal | pd—pro-dorsal | PLE—posterior lateral eye | PME—posterior median eye | pvproventral | rvretroventral.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Ant-mimicry (myrmecomorphy) is not very uncommon among arthropods. Most myrmecomorphs display Batesian mimicry where non-ant species mimic unpalatable and aggressive ants in order to avoid predatory attacks which is the result of adaptive evolution (Cushing 1997). Myrmecomorphy has achieved a distinct level of perfection among salticids (jumping spiders). The genus Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839 is one of the largest salticid genera consisting of 186 accepted species globally out of which 23 are found in India but only six of them are well characterized and all of these species exhibit Batesian mimicry displaying profound morphological as well as behavioural resemblances towards ants (Caleb 2016; Prószyński 2016; Wanless 1978; World Spider Catalog 2021; Yamasaki & Ahmad 2013; Yamasaki & Edwards 2013; Caleb & Benjamin 2017; Caleb & Sankaran 2021).

The genus Myrmarachne forms part of a phylogenetic group of the subfamily Salticinae Blackwall, 1841 (Maddison 2015). Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 is the type species of the genus Myrmarachne which was originally described from Bengal (which corresponds to present day West Bengal in India and Bangladesh combined) (Edwards & Benjamin 2009; World Spider Catalog 2021). M. melanocephala mimics the worker of Tetraponera rufonigra Jerdon, 1851, an arboreal ant with conspicuous eyes and long slender body (Pocock 1909). This species was originally described from the Carnatic-Malabar region (which corresponds to present day Indian states: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh) (Ward 2001). The genus Tetraponera Smith, 1852 belongs to subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae of Formicidae which is represented by 95 extant species globally, of which 10 are found in India (Bharti & Akbar 2014; Bolton 2021).

This paper is concerned with the discovery of M. melanocephala from Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand with detailed morphological descriptions and observation on its ant model T. rufonigra. For the first time, in addition an undamaged whole body exuviae of a freshly moulted female M. melanocephala has been used here as  material for morphological descriptions of this spider. Both taxonomic as well as behavioural (mimicry related) aspects have been noted. The biogeographical implications of the co-occurrence of the mimic and the model together in the same habitat has also been discussed in the Indian context.

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

 

Sampling and collection were performed at Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, India (Image 1). The spiders and ants were observed on and around Sal Shorea robusta trees. One male and two female spider specimens were spotted on a Sal tree trunk. The male specimen was captured alive and one freshly moulted female specimen and its undamaged whole body exuviae were manually collected and preserved in 70% ethanol for further investigations. The live male spider and ant specimens were photographed and videoed using a cellphone camera (Samsung M42). Measurements of the live male spider specimen were taken in millimeters (mm) using ocular micrometer placed within the eyepiece of a stereoscopic microscope by keeping the material on a cavity slide with a drop of water. A coverslip was temporarily placed over the cavity of the cavity slide in order to keep the material static for quick measurements. The water drop was added to create surface tension in order to keep the cover slip in firm position without killing the spider. The specimen was kept alive for behavioural studies. Note: one leg of the male spider got detached while trying to measure it alive. The ventral and dorsal sides of the palp and dentition of the live male spider were studied using hand-held magnifying glasses and stereoscopic microscope. The ethanol preserved specimen of the female spider was dissected for its epigyne, palp, and head containing chelicerae and fangs using a fine surgical scalpel. Epigyne was cleared by boiling it in 10% potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution for a minute. After boiling, the epigyne was rinsed thoroughly in water to remove excess KOH and was temporarily mounted in a drop of glycerol using coverslip on a glass slide for microscopic observations. The ethanol preserved female spider (before dissection), its undamaged whole body exuviae, and dissected epigyne, palp & head with chelicerae & fangs were photographed using Leica DFC 425C digital camera mounted over Leica M205FA stereozoom automontage microscope at National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, New Delhi 110012. Measurements were taken in millimeters (mm) using inbuilt settings of the automontage.  The format of the description follows Yamasaki (2010), Caleb (2016), and Ward (2001). The studied ethanol preserved specimen of the female spider and its exuviae were deposited in the museum collections of University Department of Zoology, Vinoba Bhave University, Hazaribagh.

 

TAXONOMIC NOTES ON THE MYRMECOMORPH

 

Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839

(Images 2A–D, 3 & 4A–E; supplementary video 1)

 

Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839: 11, pl. 1, fig. 4; Galiano, 1969: 146; Edwards & Benjamin, 2009: 5, figs. 1A–H, 2A–D, 3A–D, 4A–E, 5A–D; Yamasaki & Edwards, 2013: 15, figs. 46–58; Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013: 541, figs. 32A–G, 33A–H, 34A–C; Benjamin, 2015: 17, figs. 17A–D, 18A–D, 19A–D; Caleb, 2016: 409, figs 20–30.

Further references may be read in World Spider Catalog (2021).

Materials examined (n=3). 1 preserved freshly moulted female specimen, 1 preserved complete whole-body exuviae of female, and 1 live male. Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary (24° 8′ 14.7372″ N, 85° 23′ 1.3956″ E ), Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, India, 20.iv.2021, R. Kumar & M. Sharma.

Diagnosis (following Yamasaki & Edwards 2013). Pedicel in both sexes as long as ALE-PLE. Males are further distinguished from other congeners by the shape and dentition of chelicerae. Females can be distinguished by abdominal markings and structure of epigyne (Yamasaki & Edwards 2013). For a complete diagnosis and description see Edwards & Benjamin (2009) and Benjamin (2015).

Female. Body legth 7.8; carapace length 2.25, width 1.5; abdomen length 3.4, width 1.66. Width of eye row I 1.11; II 1.1; III 1.2. Eye sizes and interdistances: AME 0.3, ALE 0.2, PME 0.05, PLE 0.2; ALE-PLE 0.8; ALE-PME 0.39. Leg spination: tibia I pv 4, rv 5; metatarsus I pv 2, rv 2; tibia II pv 3, rv 3; metatarsus II pv 2, rv 2. Pedicel 0.6 long. Cephalic region rugulose and dark brown to black, covered with white hairs; thoracic region reddish brown, sparsely covered with white hairs. Cephalic region slightly higher than thoracic region. Sternum brown. Chelicerae dark brown, geniculate with seven teeth on promargin and 8 teeth on retromargin (Image 2D). Legs I and II light yellow, coxae I brown, tarsi I light brown which gets darker near the tip, legs III, IV brown, trochanter and patella of leg IV yellowish, patella of leg III lighter in colour. Leg IV longest. Palp paddle shaped and fringed with preening setae (Image 2C). Abdomen elongate, and slightly constricted in the anterior third, covered with white hairs, almost oval (Image 2A). Epigyne with laterally oriented large oval copulatory atria; copulatory ducts twist to form butterfly shaped structure just before reaching ovoid spermatheca; lateral pockets present between artia just at the bases of copulatory ducts (Image 2B).

Exuviae of female: The undamaged whole body exuviae revealed morphological features of the female spider (Image 3). Exuviae contains imprints of the outer surface of spider’s body. Abdominal markings (dark and lightly pigmented areas) are sharply revealed in the exuviae which is otherwise not clearly visible on the spider body. The inflated abdominal region displays the site of exit of the spider after moulting from its own exuviae. Locations of four pairs of limbs, limb markings, geniculate chelicerae, fangs, and paddle shaped pedipals are clearly visible.

Male: Body legth 7.5; carapace length 3, width 1.2; abdomen length 2.9, width 1.5; chelicerae 2. Pedicel 0.5 long. Legs I and II light brown but not yellow as in female, coxae and trochanters of legs I, II and III white, and tarsi I brown which gets darker near the tip, legs III and IV brown in colour, trochanter and patellae of leg IV white. Cephalic region rugulose and black; thoracic region reddish brown. Cephalic region slightly higher than thoracic region. Chelicerae black throughout except the region from where fangs arise which is reddish brown. Chelicerae porrect with 10 teeth each on prolateral and retrolateral margin (Images 4B, E; supplementary video 1). Sternum light brown. Abdomen elongate-oval, constricted in the anterior third. Palp with oval cymbium, round tegulum with distal-retrolateral C-shaped sperm duct, embolus with two coils, spiralled helix like retrolateral tibial apophysis with prominent flange (Images 4C, D).

Remarks: Exuviae has been used as a material for species description by some workers, and some have used it even as a holotype (Kranzfelder et al. 2017; Lin et al. 2017). We have used it here as  additional material for morphological studies. We suggest that exuviae can also provide such useful information while describing a species which may not be clearly recognizable in the type or non-type material.

Biology: The spider specimens were spotted on a tree trunk at the Sal forest. Refer ecological notes on mimic-model coexistence in a subsequent section for other important details.

Distribution: Pakistan to Indonesia (Edwards & Benjamin 2009; World Spider Catalog 2021), the records from India include states of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Uttarakhand (Caleb 2016) and Jharkhand (present study) (Images 1 & 6).

 

 

TAXONOMIC NOTES ON THE ANT MODEL

 

Tetraponera rufonigra Jerdon, 1851

(Image 5A–D; supplementary video 2)

 

Tetraponera rufonigra Jerdon, 1851: 111; Smith, 1877: 68; Bingham, 1903: 108; Wheeler, 1922: 1015; Ward, 1990: 489; Ward, 2001: 649.

Further references may be read in Bolton (2021).

Materials examined (n= 6): 1 live solitary dealate gyne and 5 foraging live workers. Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary (24°8′14.7372″ N, 85°23′1.3956″  E), Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, India, 20.iv.2021, R. Kumar & M. Sharma.

Diagnosis: (following Bolton 2021). Larger than other Tetraponera species. Bicoloured body. Head and gaster darker than mesosoma. In case of the examined specimen, head and gaster are black in contrast to the orange-brown mesosoma. The species is so distinctive that its identity has never been a matter of confusion or doubt. For a complete diagnosis and description see Ward (2001).

Dealate gyne: Large body (larger than other species of Tetraponera) with broad head, with small but conspicous crytalline glass like compound eyes and three ocelli. Head densely punctate but without clearly visible puncture interspaces. Clypeus with long and narrow median lobe. Bicoloued body, head and gaster dark in colour (dark brown to black) which contrast with the orange-brown mesosoma. Antennae, mandibles, tarsi and protibia light in colouration (light brown to yellowish-brown), matching with the colour of mesosoma to some extant (Image 5B). The studied specimen also shows the presence of a conspicuously wide semicircular band of highly pigmented (dark brown to black) wing rudiment which contrasts with the light orange background of the mesosoma which is characteristic feature of the dealate gyne (Image 5D).

Worker: They display similar morphological features and colouration pattern like the dealate gyne except the wing rudiment which is absent in workers. Pronotum with well developed lateral margin and punctate humeral corners (Image 5C). Workers are smaller than the dealate gyne. Abdomen is more tapering in the workers compared to the more inflated abdomen of the dealate gyne (Image 5A).

Remarks: This ant is known to exhibit regional morphological variations. For example, the ants studied from some places in Sri Lanka are uniformly dark (mesosoma approaching colour of head and gaster) in comparison to the typical bicoloured ants like those found in India (head and gaster darker than mesosoma). As already reported by various workers, common morphological variations include variation in integument sculpture, colour of mesosoma, and pilosity (Ward 2001).

Biology: The ants were spotted on and around trees of the Sal forest. Refer ecological notes on mimic-model coexistence in a subsequent section for other important details.

Distribution: Pakistan to Indonesia including India (Ward 2001). Widely distributed in India; the records from India include Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal (Bharti et al. 2016) (Image 6).

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

Ecological notes on mimic-model co-existence

As an ideal myrmecomorph, M. melanocephala shares many morphological features with its ant model T. rufonigra. The most striking feature is its ant like bicolored body and size. Both share similar body colour pattern, body size and appearance. The female spider mimics the ant more efficiently than the male spider due to the absence of long chelicerae found in the male spider. The long pedicel of the spider mimics the whole petiolar and post-petiolar structure of ants due to its comparable length. The inflated elongate ovate abdomen of the spider and ant also appears similar in appearance. The limbs of the spider also display a lighter colouration pattern like that of the ant (Images 2A, 4A, B, 5A, B). Along with morphological resemblances, Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 also exhibits some behavioural similarities to its ant model. In this regard, the first two pairs of legs are lighter in colour (yellowish in female) than the third and fourth pairs, and bear no stripes or markings in the spider (Image 2A). The spider waves its first pair of limbs in the air to mimic the long antennae (which is also yellowish) of the ant model occasionally. The spider also displays a zig-zag movement like the ant along with occasional salutatory movement typical of the jumping spiders (Supplementary video  1 & Supplementary video  2). Therefore, M. melanocephala perfectly imitates the gait and gestures of its ant model T. rufonigra.

 

Biogeographical implications of mimic-model co-discovery

Most myrmecomorphic spiders have been found to occupy spaces in  close vicinity to their ant models (Pekar & Jarab 2011a). Such associations provide a space devoid of potential enemies as ants are mostly avoided by frequent predators who prey upon birds, wasps and spiders (Edmunds 1974). Association of myrmecomorphs with a particular ant species could be the result of either preference to ant dominated habitat or ant’s prey preference (Pekár 2014). A large number of myrmecomorphic species go with the former strategy where they prefer to occupy ant dominated habitats and they capture prey other than ants. M. melanocephala fall under the same category (Edmunds 1978; Oliviera 1988; Pekár 2014; Pekár & Jarab 2011b). Apparent from their global distribution pattern, both M. melanocephala and T. rufonigra are adaptable to multiple climatic regions. The association between M. melanocephala and T. rufonigra was first observed by Pocock (1909). Global natural distribution of the ant model T. rufonigra completely overlaps with the reported distribution of its mimic M. melanocephala which means they follow a parallel biogeographical distribution pattern (Ward 2001; Yamasaki 2010). But if we look at India (which has the largest land area among the countries falling under the habitat range of the spider and the ant), we find that the myrmecomorph is confined to only five states (including the present study) as per available reports, whereas the ant model is widely distributed across Indian Territory (24 states including Jammu & Kashmir along with Ladakh and three other union territories) (Bharti & Akbar 2014; Caleb 2016) (Image 6). Therefore, in India T. rufonigra shows a continuous distribution pattern whereas M. melanocephala shows a highly discontinuous distribution pattern.  This big difference in the distribution pattern may be attributed to the gap in studies pertaining to this spider in India. This is also true for many other spider species in India. The spider fauna of India has never been studied in entirety as noted by Keswani et al. (2012). This gap in study in turn may be attributed to a very small number of arachnologists in India. It can also be observed that all the states from which M. melanocephala has been reported also have reports of T. rufonigra. In the present study also, the spider mimic has been reported from the state where the ant model is already known to exist. Local extinction of M. melanocephala in other states where it coexisted with T. rufonigra in past or range expansion of T. rufonigra outside the states from where M. melanocephala have been reported may be speculated as a reason of such a sharp difference in their distribution pattern but it cannot be inferred with certainty because of the huge study gap and also due to high adaptive capabilities of these animals to multiple climatic regions, there is no apparent plausible reason to presume such extreme events in their natural history. Therefore, we suggest that M. melanocephala could also be present in other states from which the ant model has already been reported. M. melanocephala could have a wider distribution across different states of India vis-à-vis the distribution of the ant model T. rufonigra.

 

 

For images - - click here

 

 

REFERENCES

 

Benjamin, S.P. (2015). Model mimics: antlike jumping spiders of the genus Myrmarachne from Sri Lanka. Journal of Natural History 49(43–44): 2609–2666. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2015.1034209

Bharti, H. & S.A. Akbar (2014). Tetraponera periyarensis, a new pseudomyrmecine ant species ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ) from India. Asian Myrmecology 6: 43–48.

Bharti, H., B. Guénard, M. Bharti & E.P. Economo (2016). An updated checklist of the ants of India with their specific distributions in Indian states (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). ZooKeys 2016(551): 1–83. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.551.6767

Bingham, C.T. (1903). The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Hymenoptera, Vol. II. Ants and Cuckoo-wasps. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London, U.K., 506pp.

Blackwall, J. (1841). The difference in the number of eyes with which spiders are provided proposed as the basis of their distribution into tribes; with descriptions of newly discovered species and the characters of a new family and three new genera of spiders. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 18: 601–670.

Bolton, B. (2021). An Online Catalog of the Ants of the World. https://antcat.org Accessed on 16 August 2021.

Caleb, J.T.D. (2016). Taxonomic notes on some ant-mimicking jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) from India. Arthropoda Selecta 25(4): 403–420. https://doi.org/10.15298/arthsel.25.4.09

Caleb, J.T.D. & S.P. Benjamin (2017). On the type of Myrmarachne uniseriata Narayan, 1915 (Araneae: Salticidae), with notes on its synonymy. Arachnology 17(6): 294–296. https://doi.org/10.13156/ARAC.2017.17.6.294

Caleb, J.T.D. & P.M. Sankaran (2021). Araneae of India. Version 2021. http://www.indianspiders.in Accessed on 21 August 2021

Cushing, P.E. (1997). Myrmecomorphy and myrmecophily in spiders: A review. Florida Entomologist 80(2): 165–193. https://doi.org/10.2307/3495552

Edmunds, M. (1974). Defence in animals : a survey of anti-predator defences. Burnt Mill (Angleterre): Longman, 381pp.

Edmunds, M. (1978). On the association between Myrmarachne spp. (Salticidae) and ants. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 4(4): 149–160.

Edwards, G.B. & S.P. Benjamin (2009). A first look at the phylogeny of the Myrmarachninae, with rediscovery and redescription of the type species of Myrmarachne (Araneae: Salticidae). Zootaxa 2309: 1–29. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2309.1.1

Galiano, M.E. (1969). Salticidae (Araneae) formiciformes. VII. El género Myrmarachne Mac Leay, 1839, en America. Revista Del Museo Argentino Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (Entomologia) 3: 107–148.

Jerdon, T.C. (1851). A catalogue of the species of ants found in Southern India. Madras Journal of Literature and Science 17: 103–127.

Keswani, S., P. Hadole & A. Rajoria (2012). Checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from India. Indian Journal of Arachnology 1(1): 1–129

Kranzfelder, P., T. Ekrem & E. Stur (2017). DNA barcoding for species identification of insect skins: A test on chironomidae (Diptera) pupal exuviae. Journal of Insect Science 17(6)(111): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/iex075

Lin, X. L., E. Stur & T. Ekrem (2017). DNA barcodes and morphology reveal unrecognized species in chironomidae (Diptera). Insect Systematics and Evolution 49(4): 329–398. https://doi.org/10.1163/1876312X-00002172

MacLeay, W.S. (1839). On some new forms of Arachnida. Annals of Natural History 2(7): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933809496646

Maddison, W.P. (2015). A phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Arachnology 43(3): 231–292.

Oliviera, P.S. (1988). Ant-mimicry in some Brazilian salticid and clubionid spiders (Araneae: Salticidae, Clubionidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 33(1): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb00443.x

Peckham, G.W. & E.G. Peckham (1885). Genera of the family Attidae: with a partial synonymy. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters 6: 255–342.

Pekár, S. (2014). Is inaccurate mimicry ancestral to accurate in myrmecomorphic spiders (Araneae)? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 113(1): 97–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/bij.12287

Pekar, S. & M. Jarab (2011a). Life-history constraints in inaccurate Batesian myrmecomorphic spiders (Araneae: Corinnidae, Gnaphosidae). European Journal of Entomology 108(2): 255–260. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2011.034

Pekár, S. & M. Jarab (2011b). Assessment of color and behavioral resemblance to models by inaccurate myrmecomorphic spiders (Araneae). Invertebrate Biology 130(1): 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7410.2010.00217.x

Pocock, R.I. (1909). Mimicry in spiders. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 30(199): 256–270. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1909.tb02405.x

Prószyński, J. (2016). Delimitation and description of 19 new genera, a subgenus and a species of Salticidae (Araneae) of the world. Ecologica Montenegrina 7: 4–32.

Smith, F. (1852). Descriptions of some hymenopterous insects captured in India, with notes on their economy, by Ezra T. Downes, Esq., who presented them to the Honourable the East India Company. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 2(9): 44–50.

Smith, F. (1877). Descriptions of new species of the genera Pseudomyrma and Tetraponera, belonging to the family Myrmicidae. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1877: 57–72.

Wanless, F.R. (1978). A revision of the spider genera Belippo and Myrmarachne (Araneae: Salticidae) in the Ethiopian region. Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Zoology) 33(1): 1–139.

Ward, P.S. (1990). The ant subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): generic revision and relationship to other formicids. Systematic Entomology 15: 449–489.

Ward, P.S. (2001). Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of the ant genus Tetraponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Oriental and Australian regions. Invertebrate Systematics 15(5): 589–665. https://doi.org/10.1071/it01001

Wheeler, W.M. (1922). Ants of the American Museum Congo expedition. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1139pp.

World Spider Catalog (2021). World Spider Catalog. Version 22.0. Natural History Museum Bern. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/ Accessed on 16 August 2021.

Yamasaki, T. & G.B. Edwards (2013). The genus Myrmarachne (Araneae, Salticidae) in Flores, Indonesia. ZooKeys 299: 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.299.4970

Yamasaki, T. (2010). Redescription of two Bornean species of the genus Myrmarachne (Araneae: Salticidae). Acta Arachnologica 59(2): 63–66. https://doi.org/10.2476/asjaa.59.63

Yamasaki, T. & A.H. Ahmad (2013). Taxonomic study of the genus Myrmarachne of Borneo (Araneae: Salticidae). Zootaxa 3710(6): 501–556. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3710.6.1