1 #AnimBehav2021 Why look like an ant? Our goal was to assess the success of Batesian mimicry by the ant-mimicking spider Myrmarachne formicaria (Salticidae) in avoiding predation in staged encounters with another jumping spider that could be a potential predator.

2 #AnimBehav2021 We staged encounters between potential predators and the ant-mimicking spiders. These outcomes were compared to trials between these predators and another species of salticid spider which did not mimic ants. Trials lasted 4 minutes or until an attack occurred.

3 #AnimBehav2021 Results from the trial videos show that the ant-mimicking spiders are less likely to get attacked by the predators than the other spiders who do not mimic ants (χ² test of independence, p= 0.045).

4 #AnimBehav2021 Using BORIS event logging software, we scored the behavior of the ant-mimics like the bobbing of their abdomens and movement of their enlarged chelicerae (jaws). We tested whether ant-mimics that were not attacked exhibited a longer duration of these actions.

5 #AnimBehav2021 Ant-mimics that were not attacked exhibited a longer duration of chelicerae movement. We found no significant difference in abdomen movement between ant-mimics that were attacked or not. We have only analyzed half the trial videos so these data are preliminary.

6 #AnimBehav2021 Ant-mimics do seem to benefit from a lower incidence of attack. Whether it is a result of the spider’s appearance, behavior, or some other combination, further investigation is needed to understand the benefit that Batesian mimicry provides for these spiders.