Corinnidae Sphecotypus

Sphecotypus sp. "Box-headed Black"

Box-headed Black Ant Mimic

Sphecotypus may be honoured as the ant mimic par excellence among all Southeast Asian spiders. The deception is achieved by an apparent "neck" — a constriction at the cephalothorax simulating the division between the head and thorax of an ant. The "neck" separates the box-like head from the wedge-shaped thorax (the name "Sphecotypus" means "shaped like a wedge").

The ant mimicry is further reinforced by the shape of its legs: they are slender, and the tibiae are expanded towards their distal ends. as in ants. The body is finely granulated and sooty black. The abdomen is covered by a leathery scutum and has an anterior tubular extension partly surrounding the pedicel.