Pirate spider
| Pirate spiders Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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| Female Ero aphana | |
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| Female Mimetus ryukyus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Mimetidae Simon, 1881 |
| Genera | |
|
See text. | |
| Diversity[1] | |
| 8 genera, 166 species | |
| |
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.
Behaviour
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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. This strategy is a form of aggressive mimicry. When their prey comes to investigate, they are instead captured and eaten.
The pirate spider Gelanor siquirres does not spin webs to passively catch prey. Instead, they hunt other web-building spiders using a stealth-based strategy. At night, they construct a capture web—long, dry silk lines extending from their retreat to nearby vegetation. These lines act as a trap by providing an anchor for the floating lines of nocturnal web-building spiders. If an exploring spider unknowingly secures its floating line to the pirate spider’s silk, it will then follow its own line onto the pirate spider’s web. Once the pirate spider detects the intruder, it descends from its retreat and ambushes it.[2]
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.
Distribution
[edit]Pirate spiders are found in forests all around the globe, wherein the highest diversity is found in Central and Tropical South America.[3]
Genera
[edit]As of October 2025[update], this family includes eight genera:[1]
- Anansi Benavides & Hormiga, 2017 – Central Africa, South Africa
- Arocha Simon, 1893 – Brazil, Peru
- Australomimetus Heimer, 1986 – Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand
- Ero C. L. Koch, 1836 – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
- Gelanor Thorell, 1869 – Pakistan, Mexico to South America
- Kratochvilia Strand, 1934 – São Tomé and Príncipe
- Melaenosia Simon, 1906 – India
- Mimetus Hentz, 1832 – Africa, Asia, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia, North America, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Family: Mimetidae Simon, 1881". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
- ^ Barrantes, Gilbert; Segura-Hernández, Laura; Solano-Brenes, Diego (2025-03-01). "A novel prey capture strategy in pirate spiders (Araneae: Mimetidae)". Animal Behaviour. 221: 122700. Bibcode:2025AnBeh.22122700B. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.07.001. ISSN 0003-3472.
- ^ Benavides, Ligia R.; Giribet, Gonzalo; Hormiga, Gustavo (2017). "Molecular phylogenetic analysis of "pirate spiders" (Araneae, Mimetidae) with the description of a new African genus and the first report of maternal care in the family". Cladistics. 33 (4): 375–405. doi:10.1111/cla.12174. PMID 34715733. S2CID 89163032.
- Platnick, N.I. & Shabad, M.U. (1993). A review of the pirate spiders (Aranae, Mimetidae) of Chile. American Museum Novitates 3074. Abstract - PDF (12Mb) (with color pictures of O. reticulatus male and female, G. cordiformis m/f, G. blinkeni f, G. zonulatus f, G. spiculator f, H. collusor f; new description of G. blinkeni)
