| Synageles is a genus of antlike jumping spiders (Salticidae)
with about 20 described species. Most species occur from Spain to
China, with one found in northern Africa (S. repudiatus from Egypt)
and several from Mexico to Canada.
Synageles venator is a species of ant-like jumping spider. It
occurs in the Palearctic region and Canada, and is also found in
North Africa. In Central Europe it is the most common ant-like
jumping spider
Description
Female are about four millimeters long, males slightly smaller. They
are similar to the jumping spider Leptorchestes berolinensis, but
feature a white line on the back ouf their heads.
Effect of mimicry
These spiders are virtually indistinguishable from ants, even for
humans looking at them rather closely. They move rapidly like an
ant, and even raise their second pair of legs like an ant's
antennae. Hand-raised tits that had never come in contact with ants
ate spiders of this species readily. However, after their first
encounters with real ants, and the nauseating effect of their formic
acid, they refrained from eating S. venator.
Synageles albotrimaculatus (Lucas, 1846) — Spain, France, Algeria,
Tunisia
Synageles bishopi Cutler, 1988 — USA
Synageles canadensis Cutler, 1988 — USA, Canada
Synageles charitonovi Andreeva, 1976 — Central Asia
Synageles dalmaticus (Keyserling, 1863) — Mediterranean
Synageles hilarulus (C. L. Koch, 1846) — Palearctic
Synageles idahoanus (Gertsch, 1934) — USA
Synageles leechi Cutler, 1988 — Canada
Synageles mexicanus Cutler, 1988 — USA, Mexico
Synageles morsei Logunov & Marusik, 1999 — Russia
Synageles nigriculus Danilov, 1997 — Russia
Synageles noxiosus (Hentz, 1850) — North America, Bahama Islands
Synageles occidentalis Cutler, 1988 — USA, Canada
Synageles persianus Logunov, 2004 — Iran, Azerbaijan
Synageles ramitus Andreeva, 1976 — Central Asia, Mongolia, China
Synageles repudiatus (O. P-Cambridge, 1876) — Egypt
Synageles scutiger Prószyński, 1979 — Ukraine, Azerbaijan
Synageles subcingulatus (Simon, 1878) — Europe to Central Asia
Synageles venator (Lucas, 1836) — Palearctic, Canada
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