Zebra spider
Jumping spiders, belonging to the family Salticidae, are a diverse group of arachnids with approximately 4,000 species worldwide. These spiders are known for their unique hunting techniques, which involve stalking prey and executing agile leaps in various directions—forward, backward, and sideways. They are typically found in diverse habitats, including gardens, parks, and even at high altitudes in the Himalayan Mountains.
Physically, jumping spiders have a distinctive appearance, characterized by a round, black cephalothorax with a white patch and an oval-shaped abdomen featuring broad white bands. They possess excellent vision, facilitated by eight large, dark eyes that allow them to spot prey effectively. Their diet mainly consists of insects like flies, ants, and beetles.
Reproductive behavior includes elaborate courtship dances by males, who transfer sperm to females using specialized appendages called pedipalps. Females lay eggs in a silken sac, which they guard until hatching. While females tend to live longer, averaging two to three years in captivity, males mature faster and mate shortly after reaching adulthood.
Subject Terms
Jumping spider
This species of spider belongs to the family of jumping spiders because of its hunting methods. It stalks its prey and then jumps upon it. The spider is able to run and jump forwards, backwards, and sideways.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneida
Family: Salticidae
Genus: Salticidae
Species: Scenicus
This species of jumping spiders is just one of 4,000 species of jumping spiders around the world. It may be found nearly everywhere in the northern hemisphere. This jumping spider makes its home by itself in bushes and on the ground in gardens and parks, inside houses, and possibly even in the Himalayan Mountains 23,000 feet (6,900 meters) above sea level. It is most active on warm, sunny days. It spins a silken capsule for itself at night or when cold or bad weather comes.
The female jumping spider is around 1/4 inch (six millimeters) long, and she is larger than the male. Both male and female have a round, black cephalothorax with a white patch in the center of the dorsal, or back, side. The cephalothorax is the forward section of the body and is also called the prosoma. This section includes the head and the thorax, or mid-body region.
At the front of the head on either side of the mouth is a hairy appendage, or attachment, called a pedipalp. The two pedipalps of a male are used to transfer sperm to a female when they are mating. Pedipalps on a male and female are also sensory organs. The mouthparts have two fangs for injecting paralyzing poison into prey.
Also attached to the cephalothorax are eight strong, hairy legs. These enable the jumping spider to leap through the air without a running start. It is able to jump a few inches (several centimeters) forward, backward, or sideways. Before it jumps, the spider spins a silken thread and attaches the end to the surface on which it is sitting. As it jumps, it releases the thread behind it. If it misses its target or landing spot, it may still safely dangle in the air.
Behind the cephalothorax is the section of the body called the abdomen or opisthosoma. The oval-shaped abdomen also is black and has broad, white bands running across its back.
On the top of the spider's head are eight large, dark, shiny eyes. These are in a horseshoe-shaped line along the sides and front of the head. They give the spider excellent color vision for a few inches (several centimeters) behind, to the side, and forward all at the same time. The spider is able to look before it leaps and is able to see its prey very easily. The prey of the jumping spider is insects, such as flies, ants, moths, and beetles. It keeps its eyes clean by wiping them with its hairy pedipalps.
The male jumping spider courts the female by dancing and waving his jaws. He and the female mate during the warmest months of the year. The male spins a pad of silk on the ground and places a packet of sperm, called a spermatophore, on the pad. He then dips his pedipalps into the sperm and places it inside the female's body to fertilize her eggs. The female then spins a silken sac for her eggs and guards them until they hatch. She only mates and has one batch of eggs each year. The young spiders take several months to mature and molt, or shed, their skins several times in order to grow. Male spiders mature before females and mate with them just after the females become adults.
In captivity, female jumping spiders have lived two to three years, and they usually live longer than males.