''Mimetus'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
pirate spider
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. M ...
s in the family Mimetidae.
[ They are found worldwide.
]
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae
Theridiidae, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders, is a large family of Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. This diverse, globally distributed family includes ...
, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bristle-like hairs. A distinguishing mark of the genus is that the distance between the anterior
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...
edge of the carapace
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the und ...
and the anterior medial eyes is about one-third to one-half of the distance between the anterior and posterior medial eyes. The length of the anterior legs is about 1.5-1.7 times that of the posterior pair.[Spiders of Europe and Greenland]
/ref>
Behaviour
Spiders in this genus are specialised spider killers. They spin no web but are slow moving, stalking or ambushing their prey. They sometimes invade the web of their potential victim, vibrating the silk to mislead the owner. An individual will attack a potential victim by biting one of its legs and injecting toxin
A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849 ...
s. It then retreats and the prey
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...
spider quickly becomes paralysed. The attacker then advances and starts to feed, sucking out the body fluids of its victim.[Spider enemies]
/ref>
Species
The World Spider Catalog lists these species:[
* '' Mimetus aktius'' Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 — USA
* '']Mimetus arushae
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Caporiacco, 1947 — Tanzania
* ''Mimetus banksi
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Chickering, 1947 — Panama
* ''Mimetus bifurcatus
''Mimetus bifurcatus'' is a species of Araneomorphae spider in the family of Mimetidae.
Distribution
This species is endemic to Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, Rep ...
'' Reimoser, 1939 — Costa Rica
* ''Mimetus bigibbosus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1894 — Mexico, Panama
* '' Mimetus bishopi'' Caporiacco, 1949 — Kenya
* ''Mimetus brasilianus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Keyserling, 1886 — Brazil
* ''Mimetus caudatus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved brist ...
'' Wang, 1990 — China
* '' Mimetus comorensis'' Schmidt & Krause, 1994 — Comoro Islands
* '' Mimetus cornutus'' Lawrence, 1947 — South Africa
* '' Mimetus crudelis'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1899 — Guatemala
* ''Mimetus debilispinis
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved br ...
'' Mello-Leitão, 1943 — Brazil
* '' Mimetus dimissus'' Petrunkevitch, 1930 — Puerto Rico, Antigua
* '' Mimetus echinatus'' Wang, 1990 — China
* ''Mimetus epeiroides
''Mimetus epeiroides'' is a species of pirate spider
Pirate spiders, members of the family (biology), family Mimetidae, are Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.
The family (biology), family Mimetidae cont ...
'' Emerton, 1882 — USA
* '' Mimetus fernandi'' Lessert, 1930 — Congo
* '' Mimetus haynesi'' Gertsch & Mulaik, 1940 — USA
* ''Mimetus hesperus
''Mimetus hesperus'' is a species of pirate spider
Pirate spiders, members of the family (biology), family Mimetidae, are Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.
The family (biology), family Mimetidae contai ...
'' Chamberlin, 1923 — USA
* '' Mimetus hieroglyphicus'' Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Brazil, Paraguay
* '' Mimetus hirsutus'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1899 — Mexico
* '' Mimetus hispaniolae'' Bryant, 1948 — Hispaniola
* ''Mimetus indicus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Simon, 1906 — India
* ''Mimetus insidiator
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Thorell, 1899 — West Africa, São Tomé, Canary Islands
* ''Mimetus keyserlingi
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved brist ...
'' Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Peru, Brazil
* ''Mimetus labiatus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Wang, 1990 — China
* ''Mimetus laevigatus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' (Keyserling, 1863) — Mediterranean to Central Asia
* ''Mimetus madacassus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved br ...
'' Emerit, 1996 — Madagascar
* '' Mimetus margaritifer'' Simon, 1901 — Malaysia
* ''Mimetus marjorieae
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 — Philippines
* ''Mimetus melanoleucus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Brazil
* ''Mimetus monticola
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' (Blackwall, 1870) — Sicily, Syria, Egypt
* ''Mimetus natalensis
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Lawrence, 1938 — South Africa
* ''Mimetus nelsoni
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Archer, 1950 — USA
* '' Mimetus notius'' Chamberlin, 1923 — USA
* ''Mimetus penicillatus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Brazil
* ''Mimetus portoricensis
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved brist ...
'' Petrunkevitch, 1930 — Puerto Rico
* ''Mimetus puritanus
''Mimetus puritanus'' is a species of pirate spider
Pirate spiders, members of the family (biology), family Mimetidae, are Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.
The family (biology), family Mimetidae conta ...
'' Chamberlin, 1923 — USA
* ''Mimetus rapax
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1899 — Costa Rica, Panama
* ''Mimetus ridens
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Brignoli, 1975 — Philippines
* ''Mimetus rusticus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Chickering, 1947 — Panama
* '' Mimetus ryukyus'' Yoshida, 1993 — Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands
* ''Mimetus saetosus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Chickering, 1956 — Panama
* ''Mimetus sinicus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved brist ...
'' Song & Zhu, 1993 — China
* ''Mimetus strinatii
''Mimetus strinatii'' is a species of spider of the genus ''Mimetus''. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.
See also
* List of Mimetidae species
This page lists all described species of the spider family Mimetidae accepted by the World Spider Catalog ...
'' Brignoli, 1972 — Sri Lanka
* ''Mimetus syllepsicus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Hentz, 1832 — USA, Mexico
* ''Mimetus syllepsicus molestus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved brist ...
'' Chickering, 1937 — Mexico
* ''Mimetus testaceus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved brist ...
'' Yaginuma, 1960 — China, Korea, Japan
* ''Mimetus tillandsiae
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Archer, 1941 — USA
* ''Mimetus triangularis
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved brist ...
'' (Keyserling, 1879) — Peru, Brazil
* ''Mimetus trituberculatus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1899 — Panama
* ''Mimetus tuberculatus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Liang & Wang, 1991 — China
* ''Mimetus variegatus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Chickering, 1956 — Panama
* ''Mimetus verecundus
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Chickering, 1947 — Panama
* ''Mimetus vespillo
''Mimetus'' is a genus of pirate spiders in the family Mimetidae. They are found worldwide.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, Theridiidae, due to their globular abdomen. The upper side of this bears curved bri ...
'' Brignoli, 1980 — Sulawesi
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3314592
Mimetidae
Araneomorphae genera
Spiders of Asia
Spiders of Africa
Spiders of North America
Spiders of South America