Cryptic diversity in ant‐mimic <i>Micaria</i> spiders (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) and a tribute to early naturalists
Journal: Zoologica Scripta
Year: 2020

Abstract Spiders of the genus Micaria are ground‐living mimics of ants. Species delineation in these spiders is challenging, mainly because of exceptional high levels of intraspecific variation masking species boundaries. As implied by preliminary DNA barcode data from Central Europe, the Holarctic and very widely distributed glossy ant‐spider M. pulicaria shows cryptic diversity. Here, we disentangle the hidden diversity by means of an integrative taxonomy approach, using mitochondrial DNA, mor