Jumping Spider - Blog Posts
Vida's Sheep Jumping Spider: researchers believe that these tiny spiders developed their "woolly" appearance as a way to mimic lacewing larvae or scale insects
The scientific name for this species is Oviballus vidae, but it has also been referred to as the "sheepy jumping spider" or "Vida's jumping spider." It was discovered in 2015, and first described (in a formal context) back in 2020.
As this article (PDF) describes:
Recently, two new salticids, R. legitima and Oviballus vidae were described from South Africa, and suggested to be mimics of either scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) or lacewing larvae (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), due to their white colouration and the presence of peculiar tufts of white setae on the body.
The possibility of [scale insects] being the model is supported by Oviballus vidae being regularly collected from plants with woolly scales, although the movements of O. vidae quite closely resemble those of chrysopid larvae.
In fact, a fourth species of possible scale mimic, a new Rhene species, was recently discovered in a collection of salticids from southern Mozambique, indicating that this phenomenon may be more widespread than has previously been known or even suspected.
O. vidae was named after Vida van der Walt, the photographer who captured some of the first images of these spiders back in 2015, just after the species was discovered by Dr. Galina Azarkina. Vida van der Walt also took the photographs that appear in this post.
Sources & More Info:
Arthropoda Selecta (scientific journal): Rediscovery and Redescription of Rhene cooperi, another possible mimic of scale insects (PDF)
Spider Club of South Africa: Two New Species Named After SA Photographer (PDF, with the relevant info on page 5)
Field Guide to the Spiders of South Africa: Section on Vida's Sheep Jumping Spider
They're done!
I'm calling this batch Midnight Auroras. I was a little worried if their eyes wouldn't stand our from the dark yarn, but after testing it, they came out pretty cute!
Also experimenting with some background pieces instead of the base gray... photography is not my strong suit lmao. Though the morning tornado-warning weather gave me some good lighting, at least.
Plus it looks a little better in the closeups. I think.
As always they are up for adoption on my etsy page!
Prancing Peacock Spiders
Maratus volans is perhaps the most widely known member of the genus Maratus, also known as peacock spiders– part of the jumping spider family– which contains 108 recognised species. Maratus volans is common across Australia and the island of Tasmania, and occur in a variety of habitats. They are most commonly found among leaf litter and dry vegetation, especially in dunes, grasslands, and sparse deciduous forests.
Peacock spiders like M. volans are extraordinarily small; both sexes only reach about 5 mm (0.19 in) in length. Members of the Maratus genus are famous for the male’s coloration, and M. volans is no exception; the abdomen is covered in brightly colored microscopic scales or modified hair which they can unfold for mating displays. Some males can also change the color of their scales, and the hairs can reflect both visible and ultraviolet light. Female M. volans lack this distinctive coloration, and are a drab grayish brown.
Reproduction for M. volans occurs in the spring, from August to December. During this period, males will approach females and raise their patterned abdomens and third pair of legs for display. He then approaches, vibrating the fan-like tail, and dances from side to side. If a female is receptive, he then mounts her; if not, she may attempt to attack and feed on him. This may also occur post-copulation. In December, the female creates a nest in a warm hollow in the ground where she lays her eggs. Each cluch contains between 6 and 15 eggs, though females typically lay several clutches. Male M. volans hatch the following August, while females typically hatch in September. Both sexes mature quickly and typically only live about a year.
Like other jumping spiders, peacock spiders like M. volans do not weave webs. Instead, they hunt during the day time using their highly developed eyesight. These spiders are also able to jump over 40 times their body length, which allows them to pounce on unsuspecting prey like flies, moths, ants, crickets, and other, much larger spiders. Other spiders are also common predators of M. volans, as well as wasps, birds, frogs, and lizards.
Conservation status: None of the Maratus species have been evaluated by the IUCN. However, it is generally accepted that they are threatened by habitat destruction, like many other insects.
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Photos
Jurgen Otto 2 & 3
Thin-Spined Jumping Spider (Tutelina elegans), female, family Salticidae, Illinois, USA
photograph by KJ Bluma
Image ID: a close-up picture of a spider. It’s looking up at the person taking the photo with its head tilted. It’s mostly mottled brown with two iridescent green patches on the front of its head. It has 4 round eyes, with the center pair being larger than the outer two. You can kind of see a silhouette of a person in the reflection of its eyes. It has little tufts of hair all of its body, with two larger tufts on either side of its head. Frankly, it’s adorable. /End ID
Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax)
March 27, 2023
Southeastern Pennsylvania
I'd like this a lot
glimpse into my beautiful imaginary world where arthropods are really big and we domesticated them
edit: people are starting to say some "my worst nightmare" or "eeeww no that one is yucky and scary" comments on this like they do on any bug post and id like to say. it's fine if you don't like bugs it's fine if you're scared of bugs but don't put that on MY post clearly talking about how much i like them and how cute i think they are. you can make your own damn post about how much you hate wasps or spiders or whatever. i'm blocking people who make these kinds of comments.
![[Image Description: Drawing Of A Brown Jumping Spider From The Front. End Of Image Description.]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/5c06baad35d5d0dbaf5bbcd684f91d2f/tumblr_pn12jwSdcV1uau91ao1_500.png)
[Image Description: Drawing of a brown jumping spider from the front. End of Image Description.]
Been practicing drawing jumping spiders. I still have quite a ways to go in drawing one of my favorite animals, but I’m still pretty proud of how this quick little drawing turned out.
TW: SPIDER
He kinda mutated
Based of this fella cus I love them
Saw a super cute bold jumping spider while on a nightly walk. Such an adorable little friend
Spider ::::D
let's make mama live longer (by being jumpy with mama)
jumping spiders and their babies
let's be jumpy with mama
jumping spiders and their babies
glimpse into my beautiful imaginary world where arthropods are really big and we domesticated them
edit: people are starting to say some "my worst nightmare" or "eeeww no that one is yucky and scary" comments on this like they do on any bug post and id like to say. it's fine if you don't like bugs it's fine if you're scared of bugs but don't put that on MY post clearly talking about how much i like them and how cute i think they are. you can make your own damn post about how much you hate wasps or spiders or whatever. i'm blocking people who make these kinds of comments.
jumping spiders and their babies
This is the jumping spider that lives on my desk. It just caught a fruit fly.
sleeping spider🕸️🕷️😹💣💤
Went out somewhere new yesterday and was lucky enough to bump into both forms of Maevia expansa male! Top images are the "tufted" morph and bottom are the "gray" morph.
They look absolutely nothing alike, and both males even use different courtship rituals to attract females! Like I've said before, the easiest way to differentiate this species from the much more common M. inclemens is to look for the bold white markings around the eyes of M. expansa, which are displayed in the pictures I have provided. The white is very bright and obvious, which makes distinction very easy, especially since jumpers love to look at you head-on!
Jumping Spider (Maevia expansa), female, taken May 8, 2025, in Georgia, US
A curious jumper making her way along a twig! She was not very happy with me but ultimately cooperated enough to get a single good picture. Like the Dimorphic Jumping Spider (Maevia inclemens), this spider's males have two different morphs: a "gray" morph that is gray with black stripes and bright orange palps and a "tufted" morph that is black with white legs and 3 black tufts of hairs above its eyes. The males of the species look nothing alike, which may cause them to be misidentified. This species can be differentiated from M. inclemens by the presence of white patterning on the head of the female and around the eyes of the males. You can also use locality, as they have currently only been found in Georgia and once in Tennessee.
Jumping Spider (Maevia expansa), female, taken May 8, 2025, in Georgia, US
A curious jumper making her way along a twig! She was not very happy with me but ultimately cooperated enough to get a single good picture. Like the Dimorphic Jumping Spider (Maevia inclemens), this spider's males have two different morphs: a "gray" morph that is gray with black stripes and bright orange palps and a "tufted" morph that is black with white legs and 3 black tufts of hairs above its eyes. The males of the species look nothing alike, which may cause them to be misidentified. This species can be differentiated from M. inclemens by the presence of white patterning on the head of the female and around the eyes of the males. You can also use locality, as they have currently only been found in Georgia and once in Tennessee.
White-jawed Jumping Spider (Hentzia mitrata), female, taken April 22, 2025, in Georgia, US
A cute female jumper who thinks she's hiding from me! I absolutely adore this species—they're my little locals. I'm seeing lots of adult males about, so they're preparing to breed soon! Juveniles of this genus are usually unable to be IDed to species until they begin to gain their adult colors. H. mitrata juveniles retain their white legs while H. palmarum (Common Hentz Jumping Spider) and most others in the genus develop brown front legs and brown or black patterning as opposed to orange.
Whitman's Jumping Spider (Phidippus whitmani), female, taken March 28, 2025, in Georgia, US
A jumping spider lifer for me! I initially caught a glimpse of her while trying to photograph a bee and thought she was a mutillid. That was until she peeked back out of the leaves to watch what I was doing! She was an excellent model, turning in all directions and moving slowly and calmly so I could get the best photos I could. It's almost like she knew what was happening!
Jumping Spider (Pelegrina proterva), male, taken March 18, 2025, in Georgia, US
My first angry face of the year! Regardless of his grumpy appearance, I missed him dearly this winter. These guys are quite common in my area, especially the males which like to climb the posts of my boardwalk to hunt. They're quite hard to distinguish from some other species in the genus unless you compare them side-by-side, but luckily this is the only species of this genus that appears in my normal hunting grounds, so I'd notice if they looked off. The females are a different story entirely, as is the case for most in Dendryphantina...
White-jawed Jumping Spider (Hentzia mitrata), juvenile male, taken March 9, 2025, in Georgia, US
I love this small baby man with his bald patch on his head... It's a little too early for it to be jumping spider season, but I'm still occasionally seeing juveniles out and about. As April comes in, the magnolia greens will begin reaching adulthood and breeding! Mitrata waits until a little later in the year, but that just means I get to see the awkward teens for longer!
Tan Jumping Spider (Platycryptus undatus), female, taken October 28, 2023, in Georgia, US
A head-on view of a small jumping friend! You can see her tapping her palps on the post as she moves, likely for extra sensory input. She was quite wary of me, but she was nice and allowed me to take a nice video and get a couple pictures! Tan jumpers have such fuzzy faces, unlike most other jumpers I see, and that gives them extra cuteness points in my head!
Magnolia Green Jumping Spider (Lyssomanes viridis), juvenile male, taken February 7, 2025, in Georgia, US
This streak of warmer weather has reawoken the magnolia greens, and I am very happy to see them again! I saw two individuals this day, both juvenile males. This one was very nice about jumping at the camera, while the first one proceeded to climb up my phone, onto my arm, and into my hoodie sleeve. I took off and inverted my hoodie, but I never found him so I suppose he dropped to the ground somewhere. His tricks worked for once!
White-jawed Jumping Spider (Hentzia mitrata), juvenile, taken October 8, 2024, in Georgia, US
Videos of jumping spiders jumping at my camera are one of my favorite nature-related things to collect. On top of it being adorable, there is also variation in how each spider approaches the jump, especially their windup. I like scrolling through and looking at how all of them differ as individuals! This one was pretty calm about it, but I sometimes get jumpers who only aim with one leg, or even wave their legs around wildly while preparing to jump!