Myrmarachne
| Myrmarachne | |
|---|---|
| Myrmarachne sp. mimicking an ant | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Subfamily: | Salticinae |
| Genus: | Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839 |
| Type species | |
| M. melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 | |
| Species | |
|
185, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
Myrmarachne is a genus of ant-mimicking jumping spiders that was first described by W. S. MacLeay in 1839. They are commonly called ant-mimicking spiders, but they are not the only spiders that have this attribute. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek μύρμηξ (myrmex), meaning "ant", and ἀράχνη (arachne), meaning "spider".
This genus has undergone many changes, and is still under review as more information becomes available. In 2016, several genera were split off, including Helicius and the monotypic genus Panachraesta. The genus Emertonius was revalidated in 2018 after being synonymized with Myrmarachne for nearly thirty years.