Jumping Spiders
What are they?
These small spiders are plentiful in most habitats and may be found pretty much anywhere. They don't spin webs but hunt actively for prey, usually setting up a home territory in suitable hunting habitat. The two central, forward-facing eyes are enlarged and have been shown to give excellent color and binocular vision. Jumpers exhibit a surprisingly high ability to hunt in a calculated way, often backing off and circling round to attack prey from a better angle.
Identification
The stealthy but often rather jerky hunting behavior of jumping spiders sets them apart from other spider groups. Most adults are cryptically camouflaged - either colored to match their environment or, in the case of the ant mimics, evolved to look like something they are not. In contrast, juveniles are often brightly-colored and this may serve to make them confusable with bees or wasps, and thus deterring would-be predators. Most species are relatively easy to identify with attention to overall color and adbominal markings, but some juveniles can be difficult as there is much variation within each species.
Bold Jumper Phidippus audax
A common species, best told by the white or bronze patch on the center of the abdomen.
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Prince Jumper Phidippus princeps
A common species, best told by the white or bronze patch on the center of the abdomen.
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Bright Jumper Phidippus clarus
A variable species, often found in wooded or scrubby areas. Abdomen usually shows extensive red or orange color.
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Orange Jumper Paraphidippus aurantius
Males of this species are often boldly marked in black and white, while females have glistening green and orange tones.
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Familiar Jumper Platycryptus undatus
A pale gray species that is commonly found on the sides of wooden buildings, boardwalks and tree trunks. They usually have a small bolt hole from which they make regular hunting forays.
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Peppered Jumper Pelegrina galathea
A small species, strongly peppered and marked in black, white and light brown.
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Agile Jumper Habronattus agilis
A small but chunky species with a bold, brown and white striped pattern.
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Metacyrba taeniola
A slender, all black species with a double row of pale, whitish spots on the abdomen.
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Peckhamia picata
A superb ant mimic, the appearance, size and even movements of this spider strongly resemble an ant.
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Magnolia Green Jumper Lyssomanes viridis
This translucent green species is wonderfully camouflaged for life hunting among the broad-leaved trees and shrubs of our forests. Though something of a generalist, it does show a preference for large-leaved plant species such as magnolias - hence the common name.
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