spider-ant associations an updated review of myrmecomorphy, myrmecophily, and myrmecophagy in spidersspider-ant协会更新审查myrmecomorphy myrmecophily,myrmecophagy蜘蛛.pdfVIP

Hindawi Publishing Corporation Psyche Volume 2012, Article ID 151989, 23 pages doi:10.1155/2012/151989 Review Article Spider-Ant Associations: An Updated Review of Myrmecomorphy, Myrmecophily, and Myrmecophagy in Spiders Paula E. Cushing Department of Zoology, Denver Museum of Nature Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard, Denver, CO 80205, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Paula E. Cushing, paula.cushing@ Received 3 October 2011; Accepted 18 December 2011 Academic Editor: Jean Paul Lachaud Copyright © 2012 Paula E. Cushing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This paper provides a summary of the extensive theoretical and empirical work that has been carried out in recent years testing the adaptational significance of various spider-ant associations. Hundreds of species of spiders have evolved close relationships with ants and can be classified as myrmecomorphs, myrmecophiles, or myrmecophages. Myrmecomorphs are Batesian mimics. Their close morphological and behavioral resemblance to ants confers strong survival advantages against visually hunting predators. Some species of spiders have become integrated into the ant society as myrmecophiles or symbionts. These spider myrmecophiles gain protection against their own predators, live in an environment with a stable climate, and are typically surrounded by abundant food resources. The adaptations by which this integration is made possible are poorly known, although it is hypothesized that most spider myrmecophiles are chemical mimics and some are even phoretic on their hosts. The third type of spider-ant association discussed is myrmecophagy—or pre