Mimetidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Classis: Arachnida
Ordo: Araneae
Subordo: Opisthothelae
Infraordo: Araneomorphae
Taxon: Neocribellatae
Series: Entelegynae
Superfamilia: Mimetoidea

Familia: Mimetidae
Subfamiliae: Gelaninae - Melaenosiinae - Mimetinae - Oarcinae - †Protomimetinae
List of genera

Arocha – Arochoides – Australomimetus – Ermetus – Ero – Gelanor – Gnolus – Kratochvilia – Melaenosia – Mimetus – Oarces – Phobetinus – Reo – †Protomimetus
Name

Mimetidae Simon, 1881
References

Benavides Silva, L.R. & Hormiga, G. 2016. Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical pirate spiders of the genus Gelanor Thorell, 1869 (Araneae, Mimetidae) with the description of five new species. Zootaxa 4064(1): 1–72. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4064.1.1. Reference page.
Harms, D.; Dunlop, J.A. 2009: A revision of the fossil pirate spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Mimetidae). Palaeontology, 52: 779–802.
Harms, D.; Harvey, M.S. 2009: A review of the pirate spiders of Tasmania (Arachnida: Mimetidae) with description of a new species. Journal of arachnology, 37: 188–205.
Harms, D.; Harvey, M.S. 2009: Australian pirates: systematics and phylogeny of the Australasian pirate spiders (Araneae: Mimetidae), with a description of the Western Australian fauna. Invertebrate systematics, 23: 231–280.
Jackson, R.R.; Whitehouse, M.E.A. 1986: The biology of New Zealand and Queensland pirate spiders (Araneae, Mimetidae): aggressive mimicry, araneophagy and prey specialization. Journal of zoology (A), 210: 279–303.
Rodrigues, E.N.L., Buckup, E.H. & Brescovit, A.D. 2016: New species, new records, and a key to the Brazilian species of Gelanor (Araneae: Mimetidae). Zoologia (Curitiba) 33(4): 1-14. DOI: 10.1590/S1984-4689zool-20160034. Reference page.
Paquin, P.; Vink, C.J.; Dupérré, N. 2010: Spiders of New Zealand: annotated family key & species list. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln, New Zealand. ISBN 9780478347050
Wunderlich, J. 2011. Extant and fossil spiders (Araneae). Beiträge zur Araneologie 6: 1–640. Reference page.

Links

Platnick, N. I. 2008. The World Spider Catalog, version 9.0. American Museum of Natural History. [1]

Vernacular names
English: Pirate Spiders
日本語: センショウグモ科
한국어: 해방거미과
中文: 拟态蛛科

Pirate spiders, members of the family Mimetidae, are araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.

The family Mimetidae contains roughly 200 species divided among 12 genera, of which Mimetus and Ero are the most common. Mimetids are usually yellow and brown and are usually 3 to 7 millimetres (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 in) long. Mimetids can be recognized by the rows of spine-like hairs on their long front legs; the rows consist of a long spine, followed by a series of progressively shorter ones.
Pirate spider female (Mimetidae sp.)
Female Mimetidae sp.

Mimetidae usually hunt by picking at the strands on their prey's web to simulate the movements of either a trapped insect or a potential mate. When their prey comes to investigate, they are instead captured and eaten. Some mimetids have been observed to feed on insects as well. The spider-feeding habit presents problems in mating, and little is known about how the males court females to avoid being eaten. However, some male mimetids in the genus Gelanor, found in South America, have enormously long appendages which they use to inseminate females.
Female Mimetus ryukyus
Distribution

Pirate spiders are found in forests all around the globe, wherein the highest diversity is found in Central and Tropical South America.[1]
Taxonomy

The Mimetidae are sometimes taxonomically grouped in the superfamilies Araneoidea or Palpimanoidea.[citation needed]
Genera

The categorization into subfamilies follows Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog.

Gelaninae Simon, 1881

Arochoides Mello-Leitão, 1935 (Brazil)
Gelanor Thorell, 1869 (Central and South America)

Melaenosiinae

Kratochvilia Strand, 1934 (Principe)
Melaenosia Simon, 1906 (India)

Mimetinae Simon, 1881

Arocha Simon, 1893 (Peru, Brazil)
Australomimetus Heimer, 1986 (Australia)
Ero C. L. Koch, 1836 (Palearctic, Africa, South America, USA, Asia, Australia)
Mimetus Hentz, 1832 (worldwide)
Phobetinus Simon, 1895 (Vietnam, Sri Lanka)
Reo Brignoli, 1979 (USA, Kenya)

Oarcinae Simon, 1890

Gnolus Simon, 1879 (South America)
Oarces Simon, 1879 (South America)