Quote:
Originally Posted by noeyedeer
does anyone know if these spiders just mimic ants for defense, or do they actually invade ant nests for eggs and whatnot.
wiki couldn't give me answers .. and other spider/insect websites say they just use ants as a camoflauge against predators.
either way I'm looking more closely at the ground when I'm outside having a ciggy.
matt
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Animals mimic for various reasons - as you say, defense, or camouflage for preditors to get close to prey.
I've seen these ant-mimic spiders at Roma St Parklands, and they are the latter. Getting close to prey. That's how I noticed them at first. I saw what looked like an ant with a midge in its mandibles. Closer inspection revealed it was indeed ant-mimic jumping spider.
Here's my thread I posted here on IIS with some photos:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ighlight=mimic