Jumping spider

Jumping spiders

Jumping spiders are a large group of spiders called the Salticidae family. They have almost 700 different groups and about 7,000 known species. This makes them the biggest family of spiders.

These spiders have very good eyesight, better than most insects and other spiders. They can see in color. They use their good vision to find mates, catch food, and move around.

Even though jumping spiders usually move slowly and quietly, they can jump very fast when hunting or if they feel scared. They are famous for their big jumps, which help them catch food or cross wide spaces. Jumping spiders have special eyes that help them see clearly, especially their two front middle eyes, which are very large.

Description

Jumping spiders look different from other spiders because of the shape of their upper body and their eyes. They have eight eyes, and the front four help them see well and know how far to jump.

These spiders can jump far to catch food or stay safe. They use silk to help them when they jump and make small silk homes to sleep in and stay safe from bad weather. Their bodies are small, from the size of an ant to as long as a fingernail.

Vision

Jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes: three fixed pairs and one movable pair. Their main eyes, called the anterior median eyes, have very good vision. These eyes work like a telescope with lenses that focus images onto a special part of the eye called a retina. This helps them see colors and even ultraviolet light, which is a type of light humans can't see.

These spiders can also see motion from all sides because of their other eye pairs. Even if they lose some of their eyes, they can still hunt using just their best secondary eyes. Their vision helps them find food, talk to each other, and move around.

Behavior

Jumping

Jumping spiders can jump very well, unlike other jumping insects like grasshoppers or leafhoppers. They use jumps to move, stay safe, and catch food. They stretch their legs using a special inside system that changes fluid pressure, so they can jump far without big muscles. Some can jump up to 38 times their body length! They see very well and use this to make good jumps. Before jumping, they tie a thin silk thread to where they are. This thread helps them balance and gives them a way back if the jump is not good.

Hunting

Jumping spiders hunt during the day because they can see very well. When they see food, they turn to face it and may move closer slowly. They often tie a silk thread before jumping on their food. Some jump in curvy paths, while others wait and jump fast. Certain types like to eat ants, using special ways to catch them. Others hunt spiders, sometimes going into webs to catch them. Though most don’t make webs to catch food, a few types spin special funnel-shaped webs to trap other spiders or moths. When they catch food, they bite it to put in venom, which stops the food from moving. Their silk thread also helps them reach food on walls or ceilings.

Diet

Jumping spiders usually eat other small animals. Some of them also drink sweet plant liquids called nectar.

One special kind of jumping spider, called Bagheera kiplingi, mostly eats special food made by acacia trees. These trees make rich, fatty bits called Beltian bodies] that the spiders love.

In Southeast Asia, a spider named Toxeus magnus takes care of its babies by giving them a milky, nutritious fluid for about 40 days after they are born.

Reproduction

Jumping spiders have special ways of finding mates. The males show bright colors and make movements to get the females' attention. Some even make buzzing or drumming sounds. These displays help the males show off their best features.

When a female is interested, she stays still and lets the male come closer. The male gently touches her, and if she agrees, they come together to start a new spider family. However, showing bright colors can sometimes make males more noticeable to other animals.

Taxonomy

See also: List of Salticidae genera

Jumping spiders are part of a large spider family named Salticidae. Scientists have found that this family is closely related to another spider family called Philodromidae.

In 2015, experts divided the Salticidae family into seven smaller groups, called subfamilies. These include Onomastinae, Asemoneinae, Lyssomaninae, Spartaeinae, Eupoinae, Hisponinae, and Salticinae. Scientists are still discovering more about how these groups connect to each other.

Habitat

Jumping spiders live in many different places. They are most common in tropical forests. You can also find them in temperate forests, scrubland, deserts, intertidal zones, and mountainous areas. One species, Euophrys omnisuperstes, has been found on the slopes of Mount Everest, one of the highest places on Earth.

Models for mimicry

Some small insects look or act like jumping spiders. This may help keep them safe from the spiders. Examples include patterns on the wings of some tephritid flies, the nymph of a fulgorid, and maybe some moths.

Fossils

Very few jumping spider fossils have been found. All the known fossils come from amber from the Cenozoic era. The oldest fossils are from Baltic amber, dating back to the Eocene epoch, between 54 to 42 million years ago. Other fossil jumping spiders have been found in Chiapas amber and Dominican amber.