Menemerus bivittatus | |
---|---|
Male | |
Female | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Salticidae |
Subfamily: | Salticinae |
Genus: | Menemerus |
Species: | M. bivittatus |
Binomial name | |
Menemerus bivittatus Dufour, 1831 | |
Synonyms | |
and many others. |
Menemerus bivittatus is a spider in the family Salticidae commonly known as the gray wall jumper. It is a pantropical species and is usually found on the walls of buildings or on tree trunks where it stalks its prey.
Gray wall jumpers are dorso-ventrally flattened and are covered with short dense, grayish-white hairs. There are tufts of dark brown bristles near the large, forward-facing eyes. [1] The spiders are about nine millimetres long, the male being slightly smaller than the female. The male has a blackish longitudinal dorsal stripe with a brownish-white stripe on either side of the abdomen. The carapace and chelicerae are also black and white and the legs have transverse bandings of the same colours. The female is generally paler and more brown, with a larger carapace and abdomen. Her carapace is edged with two black bands and a thin white stripe and her abdomen is edged with broad black stripes on each side which unite at the posterior end. Her legs are banded but are paler than those of the male. Immature spiders resemble the female. [2]
The female gray wall jumper builds an eggsac in a crack or other concealed position in which she lays 25 to 40 eggs in a purse-like silken case. She guards the eggs until they hatch in about three weeks time after which the young spiders disperse. [2]
Both young and old spiders feed mainly on small flies which alight on walls. They do not build a web but instead, stalk their prey before launching an attack by leaping on the victim. They have high visual acuity and their large eyes are able to focus on objects [3] and detect different colours. [4] They use their highly coordinated jumping ability to capture their prey and to move from one place to another. They are capable of capturing insects such as crane flies that are at least twice their own size. [2]
Male spiders of this species possess a stridulatory apparatus which consists of several long bristles on the palpal femur and a series of horizontal ridges on the outer side of the chelicerae. Sound is generated when the spider rubs these ridges up and down against the palpal teeth. This is believed to be part of a courtship display by the male. [1]
In India, this common spider is found on the outer walls of buildings and on tree trunks. It moves actively about in search of small insect prey, often vibrating its hairy palps as it walks. [5] In Gambia, spiders of this species have been observed loitering near and observing the entrances to nests of stingless bees. It is difficult for the spider to catch the bees as they fly out of the entrance but the bees are more vulnerable when returning to the nest. [6]
Menemerus bivittatus is native to Africa, but has been widely introduced, resulting in a cosmopolitan distribution. [7] In America, the species is found in Florida, Texas, and California (USA) and south as far as Paraguay, including some Caribbean islands, Colombia, and Venezuela. It is often seen on the outside of man-made structures. [2]
The zebra jumping spider is a common jumping spider of the Northern Hemisphere. Their common name refers to their vivid black-and-white colouration, whilst their scientific name derives from Salticus from the Latin for “dancing”, in reference to their agility, and the Greek scenicus, translating to “theatrical” or “of a decorative place,” in reference to the flashy, zebra-like coloration of the species.
Portia labiata is a jumping spider found in Sri Lanka, India, southern China, Burma (Myanmar), Malaysia, Singapore, Java, Sumatra and the Philippines. In this medium-sized jumping spider, the front part is orange-brown and the back part is brownish. The conspicuous main eyes provide vision more acute than a cat's during the day and 10 times more acute than a dragonfly's, and this is essential in P. labiata′s navigation, hunting and mating.
Phidippus audax or the bold jumping spider is a common species of spider belonging to the genus Phidippus, a group of jumping spiders easily identified by their large eyes and their iridescent chelicerae. Like all jumping spiders, they have excellent stereoscopic vision that aids them in stalking prey and facilitates visual communication with potential mates during courting. Bold jumping spiders are native to North America and have been introduced to Hawaii, Nicobar Islands, Azores, and the Netherlands. They are typically black with a distinct white triangle on their abdomen.
Havaika is a genus of the spider family Salticidae. The genera Habronattus and Pellenes are closely related. All then known species were split from the genus Sandalodes.
The anatomy of spiders includes many characteristics shared with other arachnids. These characteristics include bodies divided into two tagmata, eight jointed legs, no wings or antennae, the presence of chelicerae and pedipalps, simple eyes, and an exoskeleton, which is periodically shed.
Phidippus californicus is a species of jumping spider. It is found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.
Maevia inclemens or the Dimorphic Jumping Spider is a relatively common and colorful jumping spider of North America. In the males there are two forms, a very rare phenomenon in zoology. These use different courting displays, and differ in appearance: the "tufted" morph has a black body and pedipalps ("palps"), three black tufts across its "head", and pale legs; and the "gray" morph has black and white stripes all over its body and legs, orange palps, and no tufts. However, each form accounts for 50% of the adult males, and they are equally successful in mating. A female of Maevia inclemens is 6.5 to 8.0 millimetres long, while males are 4.75 to 6.50 millimetres long.
Zygoballus sexpunctatus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the southeastern United States where it can be found in a variety of grassy habitats. Adult spiders measure between 3 and 4.5 mm in length. The cephalothorax and abdomen are bronze to black in color, with reddish brown or yellowish legs. The male has distinctive enlarged chelicerae and front femora. Like many jumping spiders, Z. sexpunctatus males exhibit ritualized courtship and agonistic behavior.
This glossary describes the terms used in formal descriptions of spiders; where applicable these terms are used in describing other arachnids.
Plexippus paykulli is a species of jumping spider. It is native to south east Asia but has spread to other parts of the world and globe. In the United States it is called the pantropical jumping spider. It is usually associated with buildings and may be found near light sources catching insects attracted by the light. It is named in honor of Gustaf von Paykull.
Portia fimbriata, sometimes called the fringed jumping spider, is a jumping spider found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Adult females have bodies 6.8 to 10.5 millimetres long, while those of adult males are 5.2 to 6.5 millimetres long. Both sexes have a generally dark brown carapace, reddish brown chelicerae ("fangs"), a brown underside, dark brown palps with white hairs, and dark brown abdomens with white spots on the upper side. Both sexes have fine, faint markings and soft fringes of hair, and the legs are spindly and fringed. However, specimens from New Guinea and Indonesia have orange-brown carapaces and yellowish abdomens. In all species of the genus Portia, the abdomen distends when the spider is well fed or producing eggs.
Portia africana is a jumping spider found in Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Zaire and Zambia. Its conspicuous main eyes provide vision more acute than a cat's during the day and 10 times more acute than a dragonfly's, and this is essential in P. africana′s navigation, hunting and mating.
Progradungula otwayensis, commonly known as the odd-clawed spider, is a species of cribellate spider endemic to the Great Otway National Park of Victoria, Australia. It is one of only two species in the gradungulid genus Progradungula.
Menemerus semilimbatus is a spider in the family Salticidae.
Euryattus bleekeri, known as Bleeker's jumping spider, is a species of spider in the family Salticidae. It is found from Sri Lanka to Queensland.
Menemerus nigli is a species of jumping spider in the genus Menemerus that originates in Asia. The male was identified in 2012 by Wanda Wesołowska and Mario Freudenschuss, and the female by Pir Asmat Ali, Wayne Maddison. Muhammad Zahid and Abida Buttin in 2018. The spider is medium-sized, typically 4.89 millimetres (0.193 in) in length, with a dark brown carapace and grey-brown abdomen that has a distinctive cream and white pattern created by small hairs. It was originally found in India, Pakistan and Thailand but was also found to have been introduced into Latin America, the first specimens being identified in Brazil in 2020. It seems to thrive amongst the sunlit stucco walls that are common in cities across the region. Menemerus nigli is used as an example of the ability of species that adapt to human habitation to expand their ecological niche and become global species.
Stenaelurillus latibulbis is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. It was first described in 2014 by Wanda Wesołowska. The spider is medium-sized, with a dark brown cephalothorax between 2.6 and 3.0 mm in length and a black abdomen between {1.9 and 3.4 mm long. The male carapace has patches of white hairs, while the female is marked by two white stripes that stretch from the front to back. The female abdomen has a triangular-shaped white marking. It is distinguished from other members of the genus by the male's short, wide palpal bulb and the female's small epigyne.
Stenaelurillus modestus is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives in South Africa. It was first described in 2014 by Wanda Wesołowska. The species is a specialist that preys on Odontotermes termites, although its venom is also effective against other prey. The spider is medium-sized, with a brown cephalothorax between 2.0 and 2.7 mm in length and a black abdomen between {1.9 and 2.8 mm long. It is genarally black in colour. The carapace has a border of white hairs and the abdomen is edged with bristles. It is distinguished from other members of the genus by the male's elongated palpal bulb and straight embolus, and the horseshoe-shaped depression in the female's epigyne.
Stenaelurillus guttiger, synonyms Aelurillus guttiger and Stenaelurillus natalensis, is a species of jumping spider in the genus Stenaelurillus that lives across southern Africa. It was first described in 1901 by Eugène Simon. It feeds on termites, particularly Macrotermes and Odontotermes. Initially allocated to the genus Aelurillus the species was moved to its current genus in 1974. First found in South Africa, it has also been seen in Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The spider is medium-sized, with a carapace that is between 2.0 and 2.75 mm long and an abdomen that is between 1.8 and 2.9 mm long. It is dark brown or brown, and has a pattern of white hairs on both the abdomen and carapace. The carapace has a pattern of two stripes and abdomen has a white pattern of straight and V-shaped stripes and spots. It is a very diverse species, with a wide range of different colours and patterns. It is distinguished by the design of its sexual organs. The male has an embolus that is short and crab like. The female has a flat plate epigyne with widely separated copulatory openings and insemination ducts and a deep narrow pocket.
Eris militaris, known commonly as the bronze jumper or bronze lake jumper, is a species of jumping spider, belonging to the Salticidae family. It is found in the United States and Canada within both suburban and rural areas. The male and female of this species can be differentiated from their size or by the coloration on their cephalothorax and abdomen. The females have a lighter cephalothorax a slightly darker abdomen with white spots. They are active in the autumn and winter season and can be found in sheltered areas within vegetation. They can also be found living within apple orchards, where insecticides may be present, which can potentially effect or alter their personality and behavior. Their diet consists of small insects, almost anything they can hold.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.485.4929&rep=rep1&type=pdf