Cosmophasis is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). They are predominantly Southeast Asian, while some species occur in Africa and Australia. Although most species more or less mimic ants, some also colorful speciesJerzy Proszynski: Cosmophasis follow a different strategy.
C. bitaeniata uses chemical mimicry to be accepted by the aggressive weaver ant species Oecophylla smaragdina.
One species, said to be not a particularly good ant mimic, was observed living near and preying on ants. According to Murphy and Murphy, 2000, "to watch the spider stalking and killing its prey is an arachnological spectacular". Description Species in this genus are from 3.80 to 8.00 mm long. Their cephalothoraces are pear-shaped (for some males) or rectangular.
Taxonomy
, the World Spider Catalog accepted these species:
Cosmophasis albipes Berland & Millot, 1941 – Guinea Cosmophasis albomaculata Schenkel, 1944 – Timor Cosmophasis ambonensis Hurni-Cranston & Hill, 2020 - Ambon Island Cosmophasis arborea Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1997 – Caroline Islands Cosmophasis baehrae Zabka & Waldock, 2012 - Australia Cosmophasis bandaneira Hurni-Cranston & Hill, 2020 - Banda Islands Cosmophasis banika Żabka & Waldock, 2012 - Solomon Islands Cosmophasis bitaeniata (Keyserling, 1882) – New Guinea, Australia, Micronesia Cosmophasis chlorophthalma (Simon, 1898) – New Hebrides Cosmophasis chopardi Berland & Millot, 1941 – Ivory Coast Cosmophasis colemani Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – Australia (Queensland) Cosmophasis courti Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis cypria (Thorell, 1890) – Java Cosmophasis darwini Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – Australia (Northern Territory) Cosmophasis depilata Caporiacco, 1940 – Ethiopia Cosmophasis estrellaensis Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Cosmophasis fazanica Caporiacco, 1936 – Libya Cosmophasis gemmans (Thorell, 1890) – Sumatra Cosmophasis harveyi Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis hortoni Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – Solomon Is. Cosmophasis humphreysi Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis kairiru Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis kohi Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis lami Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1997 – East Asia, South East Asia, Pacific islands Cosmophasis laticlavia (Thorell, 1892) – Sumatra Cosmophasis lucidiventris Simon, 1910 – Gabon Cosmophasis lungga Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – Solomon Islands Cosmophasis maculiventris Strand, 1911 – Aru Islands Cosmophasis masarangi Merian, 1911 – Sulawesi Cosmophasis micans (L. Koch, 1880) – Queensland Cosmophasis micarioides (L. Koch, 1880) – New Guinea, Queensland, Solomon Islands Cosmophasis miniaceomicans (Simon, 1888) – Andaman Islands Cosmophasis modesta (L. Koch, 1880) – Queensland Cosmophasis monacha (Thorell, 1881) – New Guinea Cosmophasis motmot Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis obscura (Keyserling, 1882) – Queensland Cosmophasis olorina (Simon, 1901) – Sri Lanka Cosmophasis ombria (Thorell, 1877) – Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Krakatau) Cosmophasis orsimoides Strand, 1911 – Kei Islands Cosmophasis panjangensis Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – Indonesia (Krakatau) Cosmophasis parangpilota Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Cosmophasis psittacina (Thorell, 1887) – Myanmar Cosmophasis pulchella Caporiacco, 1947 – Ethiopia Cosmophasis quadricincta (Simon, 1885) – Singapore Cosmophasis rakata Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – Indonesia (Krakatau) Cosmophasis risbeci Berland, 1938 – New Hebrides Cosmophasis sertungensis Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – Indonesia (Krakatau) Cosmophasis squamata Kulczyński, 1910 – Solomon Islands, Seychelles Cosmophasis strandi Caporiacco, 1947 – East Africa Cosmophasis tavurvur Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis thalassina (C. L. Koch, 1846) – Malaysia to Australia Cosmophasis tricincta Simon, 1910 – Bioko Cosmophasis trioipina Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Cosmophasis tristriatus (L. Koch, 1880) – Palau Is. Cosmophasis trobriand Żabka & Waldock, 2012 – New Guinea Cosmophasis umbratica Simon, 1903 – India to Sumatra Cosmophasis valerieae Prószyński & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2010 – Indonesia (Java, Lesser Sunda Is.) Cosmophasis viridifasciata (Doleschall, 1859) – Sumatra to New Guinea Cosmophasis waeri Hurni-Cranston & Hill, 2020 - Banda Islands Cosmophasis weyersi (Simon, 1899) – Sumatra Cosmophasis xiaolonghaensis Cao & Li, 2016
In 2012, Marek Żabka and Julianne Waldock proposed 5 new species groups, it being the C.thalassina species group, C. bitaeniata species group, C. micarioides species group, C. tristriatus species group, and the C. rakata species group. Formerly placed in this genus include: Cosmophasis australis Simon, 1902 → Phintella australis Cosmophasis caerulea Simon, 1901 → Mexcala caerulea Cosmophasis fagei Lessert, 1925 → Icius fagei Cosmophasis nigrocyanea (Simon, 1885) → Mexcala nigrocyanea Cosmophasis quadrimaculata Lawrence, 1942 → Mexcala quadrimaculata Cosmophasis longiventris Simon, 1903 → Chrysilla lauta
References
Further reading (2001): Exploitation of the green tree ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, by the salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata. Australian Journal of Zoology 49: 129–137. (2002): Mimicry of host cuticular hydrocarbons by salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata that preys on larvae of tree ants Oecophylla smaragdina. Journal of Chemical Ecology 28: 835–848. (2006): Chemical mimicry of the ant Oecophylla smaragdina by the myrmecophilous spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata: Is it colony-specific? Journal of Ethology 24(3): 239-246.
External links Photograph of Cosmophasis sp. Photograph of C. micarioides Photograph of C. rubra