Raising and Caring For Salticidae (Araneae: Salticidae) – jumping spiders
Phidippus arizonensis beautiful adult female:
(For best results, skip this etymology section and proceed to the article below.)
Etymology of
Salticidae: from Latin
saltare = to leap, to jump, to dance
Etymology of
Phidippus:
Um.
In the afterlife, if I can possibly track down arachnologist Carl Ludwig Koch, I will be sure to ask him what he was thinking. The popular theory is that the generic name points to that of a slave and physician to King Deiotaros mentioned in Cicero's speech "Pro Rege Deiotaro" In the
speech, Phidippus is mentioned only once in the fourth paragraph in this context:
"Upon my word, Gaius Caesar, when first I was asked to undertake this case the suspicion that struck me was this: "Our young friend has suborned Phidippus the physician, a slave of the king who had been sent with the delegates ; he has bribed the physician to give evidence ; he will no doubt trump up some charge of poisoning." My conjecture, although it was a good distance from the truth, was not far wrong as regards the common practice of accusers. What says the physician? Not a word of poison. But in the first place this might have been dropped into his drink or food with less chance of detection; in the second place, with even less danger of punishment, because when it is done it can be denied …"
Of course, as with all things linguistically mysterious, I turned to the great oracle and guru Tom McIver for assistance. Professor McIver surmises the following:
"I think the guess about Cicero's speech is not only because he suspected Phidippus of wanting to poison Caesar, but that Deiotarus was Galatian and associated with Mithradates, king of adjoining Pontus. Mithradates VI fought Deiotarus, resulting in Pompey's involvement. Mithradates was famed as the "Poison King" for his knowledge and use of poisons on his enemies (and for supposedly immunizing himself by daily consumption of a secret elixir of mixed poisons). Phidippus was a physician as well as Deiotarus's slave, so one might guess that he had learned some of Mithradates' poison craft. Perhaps he came to mind to Koch (or whoever) simply as a poisoner's name. "
Tom then shot off an email to Adrienne Mayor, author of
The Poison King, to inquire about an alternative theory (a similar name of a marathon runner), who replied:
"Hi Tom,
I cannot find any uses of Phidippus for Pheidippides (sometimes Philippides).
Deiotarus was Rome’s loyal ally and Cicero argues that he did not wish to poison Julius Caesar, but note that he was succeeded by Deiotarus II, his only surviving son, all the rest of his children having been put to death by their father Deiotarus, according to Plutarch, "in order that his kingdom in the hands of his successor might not be shorn of its power" (Plut. de Stoic. Repugn. 32.).
It is highly likely that Deiotarus’s physician Pheidippides [sic--she must mean Phidippus] would have supplied and perhaps administered poison to the king’s offspring. This could be why Koch selected the doctor’s name, to call out the venom of the spider.
Adrienne"
This is possibly to say that the possible name could possibly be related to the possible poisoning by the physician Phidippus. It works for me.
And now I return to our regularly scheduled programming.
Phidippus texanus:
INTRODUCTION
This season I decided to try my hand at various species of spiders including some from the Salticidae family. Among these jumping spiders, I raised a few from egg to adult while others I simply cared for and released. Because these are commonly reared spiders and there are plenty of care sheets and guides online, I will limit my discussion to a bit of personal experience with a few local species.
Since I am not a spideropterist by trade, I will begin by thanking my awesome and exceedingly patient and compassionate mentors, Don Cadle and Heather Doyle. Also, thank you for the expertise of arachnologist Gb Edwards who helped in so many ways.
Normal people can determine the sex of adult jumping spiders fairly easily. (I am not a normal person.) Mature males display comma-shaped "boxing glove" ends of the pedipalps, the palpal bulbs where sperm is stored. Mature females have a visible genital structure called an epigynum on the upper underside of the abdomen between the book lungs. The epigynum is an opening leading to the spermathecae where the female stores sperm after mating. I use clear plastic containers for catching spiders that make it easier for me to photograph the underside of a spider to determine maturity and sex.
Phidippus texanus female ventral:
The species that I raised from egg to adult include Phidippus texanus, Phidippus audax, Phidippus carolinensis, and just a very few Habronattus. Species that I only raised from subadult to adult include Phidippus arizonensis and Platycryptus undatus.
At the time of this writing, the close of the year 2024, I am overwintering Phidippus texanus, Phidippus carolinensis, Phidippus arizonensis, and my only two remaining Habronattus collected in February 2024.
Phidippus carolinensis - adult females:
In this article I describe caring for these spiders in general and then separated by species for convenience, even though the care for the different Phidippus species is quite similar.
To begin, I offer general tips for
Finding the species that I collected, followed by
Housing,
Feeding, and
Life Cycle.
I then include a brief photo journey of my individual species in the following order:
Phidippus texanus
Phidippus audax
Phidippus carolinensis
Phidippus arizonensis
Habronattus spp.
Platycryptus undatus
And I
conclude with a few closing thoughts about jumping spiders along with references and some recommended reading articles. A few VIDEOS are also linked to within the text.
An exceptionally gorgeous Habronattus in a park local to me:
FINDING SALITICIDAE in the FIELD
For the different species that I worked with, I learned to look for spiders in the mornings before the spiders become too active. In my area of central Texas, I found most of my individuals on vegetation with
Opuntia being the most common plant on which to find Phidippus species. In addition, I found individuals on flowers, on plant stems, on the bark of trees, on rocks, on fallen tree limbs, and in leaf litter. Occasionally I would find an individual on a man-made structure, such as on a wall or park bench. A spider might climb onto a surface to warm up, thus becoming highly visible.
Often I would spot a nest with or without a spider inside. The spider may be inside the nest or nearby or may have already abandoned the nest. As an example, below is what a Phidippus audax might look like on
Opuntia (prickly pear cactus). I recommend that you always look
between the cactus leaves and especially in any crevices that you can find.
In this image, you can see a nest. Look for a spider inside or near the nest. You may use a fine-mist spray bottle or a q-tip to check a nest. However, please be very careful not to tear or harm the nest: the spider may be moulting inside and could be killed if the nest is disturbed. Always look for the openings on either side of the nest so you will know where the spider might exit or where you can peek inside without disturbing the nest.
Here you can find the Phidippus audax, a juvenile, who has emerged from a nearby nest:
Look between leaves. I carry tongs for handling
Opuntia leaves when I need to gently move a leaf to the side. You will see a Phidippus audax here who has been hiding in the crevice:
HOUSING SALTICIDAE
I kept the housing for my jumping spiders relatively simple.
For babies and younger spiders, I used plastic storage jars from Menards. The tiniest spiders were kept in 16-oz jars and the slightly bigger ones in 32-oz jars. I used push pins to create air holes in three sides of the containers, laying them on their sides so that the opening lid is in front. When these spiders build nests (for bedding, moulting cushioning, shelter), they usually do so at the top of the container. Therefore, the opening should be on the side so as not to disturb any nesting created by the spider. In addition, I add brown coffee filters so that the spiders will have a place to walk, rest, and hide as well as to prevent any falling inside the container. The coffee filters are also good for quick fine-mist sprays of water in order to maintain some moisture.
32-ounce jar housing an overwintering Habronattus spider (the small spider can be seen atop a curled leaf in the second image: she nests inside the leaf):
For rearing Habronattus, since these spiders play nicely together (generally do not eat each other), I kept them in a 24-inch butterfly habitat resting on its side. In this image, the Habronattus cage is on the far right, alongside various jars, a cube, and critter keepers:
When I want to pair spiders, I use 30-inch tallx18"x18" butterfly habitats. I add the female first and make sure she is very well fed for a few days so she can establish herself in the cage. I then add a well-fed male. I have had no problems with their mating since the cages are large enough for them to separate when necessary.
For individual Salticidae that I wanted to keep a close eye on, I use 8"x8"x8" plastic cubes listed as "Reptile Growth Mini Reptile Terrarium" online. CAUTION: These cubes
must be modified to house spiders due to their significant openings and gaps.
Various Cages to House Different Types of Jumping Spiders, including jars, cubes, and mesh enclosures:
These cages are rather sparse and are used for housing overwintering spiders (Salticidae spp. and Peucetia viridans):
Note that above my rearing cages I use full-spectrum lighting:
FEEDING SALTICIDAE
Spiders in captivity will need live, moving prey in addition to access to water.
Moisture
I use fine mist sprayers for plastic jars and water sponges along with misting for cubes and larger cages.
The water sponges are cellulose sponges cut to size and washed well (no detergents). They are cut to fit inside drink bottle lids which I clean thoroughly each day with sponges and wire brushes. (Human note: Since I don't actually consume bottled drinks, I asked a neighbour to save her bottle caps for me. In spite of her deciding that I am quite weird, she happily obliged and I am grateful for that.) Water sponges allow for sufficient moisture for small insects and spiders to drink while preventing them from drowning.
Below are images of the water sponge and fine mist sprayer:
Small Flies
For babies and smaller species of spiders, I feed
Drosophila hydei. These small, flightless vinegar flies are available at some pet stores as well as online. In addition to purchasing flies, you can purchase different media to rear Drosophila, excelsior (soft wood shavings for them to lay eggs on), and containers for culturing. Often both Drosophila hydei and Drosophila melanogaster are available. I use the former because they are larger ('meatier') and suffice for my smallest Salticidae leaving the nest.
Drosophila hydei sold in a container:
To collect individual flies, I shake out several flies onto a tray and then quickly cover them with small clear plastic shot cups, available at dollar stores and online. I then slide a bit of laminated paper underneath (such as what is sent in junk mail and cut to size) in order to collect a few flies to be distributed in each jar.
Sometimes I spot a second-instar baby spider who has escaped a mesh cage and needs to eat. I then trap both the spider and one or two flies inside the overturned shot cup. This allows the hungry baby easy access to a nourishing meal before I return the baby to a cage.
Set-up for collecting Drosophila from their containers (shot cups and small plastic/paper cards):
Inside both cubes and mesh cages, I provide food for the flies that also allows the spider to drink and/or nectar from the apple:
Baby Phidippus carolinensis munching on Drosophila hydei:
Large Flies
For adult Phidippus spp. (the larger species), I catch
Lucilia flies (Calliphoridae) to feed to them. Where I live in central Texas, these flies are readily available during the warmer months. I set up two different mechanisms for trapping the flies (they must be alive and healthy).
One method of catching individuals or just a few at a time is to use trays with apple slices and water droplets from a mist bottle. I simply wait for the flies to alight on the apple and then place a plastic container over the fly (and apple slice) and slip a gift card / credit card underneath.
I turn the container and card over and put it in the freezer for about two minutes (the time depends on the number of flies and the substrate collected). This subdues the flies so that I can handle them individually to put into my spiders' enclosures.
These are the trays I use for collecting individual or small numbers of flies. (Human note: I made friends with several backyard green anoles and I always allow them first dibs at the flies.)
Trays and catch containers:
In peak season, I use traps. I cut plastic drink bottles toward the top such that both parts are of equal diameter. I turn the top upside down to rest above the bottom in the style of a funnel. To make the trap escape-proof, I tape paper towels around the bottom portion. I add bait, usually apple slices, and on good fly days, numerous Lucilia will fill the bottle and not be able to get out (a few clever ones might escape, but most remain inside). When I am ready to collect, I add a damp, wadded up paper towel to the top in order to seal the funneling hole. I then put the entire contraption in the freezer. It takes about five minutes (for my freezer and my size traps) to get the flies subdued, at which point I can distribute them into the cages.
These are examples of simple traps using drink bottles (human note: the lizard included here is my friend Anaïs Anole whom I am overwintering at the time of this writing):
Phidippus audax, adult female, chowing down on Lucilia fly:
Mealworms
Another acceptable food for spiders is mealworms (
Tenebrio molitor larvae). My spiders prefer flying insects, but will eat mealworms at times. (Similar to us humanoids, any individual spider might be a pickier eater.) Mealworms may be purchased at some pet stores and online. It's important to keep them well fed with healthful offerings. I keep mine in critter keepers on soil substrate furnished with dishes of mixed whole grains and nuts, fresh vegetables including romaine lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash, and carrot, as well as apple slices and water sponges.
Below, Phidippus arizonensis (left) and Phidippus audax munching on mealworm:
Moths
When I cannot get Lucilia flies, I use smaller moths of various kinds. They come to my front porch light and to my white sheet.
These
Plodia interpunctella moths conveniently appeared and reared themselves inside my house around the spider and bug cages.
Larvae:
and Adults:
My larger spiders do indeed enjoy the moths. This female Phidippus arizonensis is munching on a moth from my yard:
Small Grasshoppers
As a last resort, I will use very small grasshoppers. In mesh cages, the grasshoppers often walk up to the sides and top to perch, making them easy to catch. My larger spiders enjoy these.
Gravid female Phidippus audax munching on grasshopper:
LIFE CYCLE
The seasonality of Salticidae spp. varies greatly. Of the ones that I reared, I found Habronattus the earliest in the season and Phidippus arizonensis into the very late season.
In my observation and from what I understand, females lay multiple eggs inside an egg sac within a nest. The eggs hatch in about three weeks and the hatchlings remain inside the egg sac until after their first moult to second-instar spiderlings. The mothers that I observed remained in the nest with the egg sac and babies until the spiderlings dispersed about three weeks after hatching. I think it is likely that the mother is offering maternal care beyond that of simple protection, such as nest repair and perhaps catching prey. Multiple articles tout the maternal care of the fascinating Asian species
Toxeus magnus (Salticidae » Salticinae) who produces and provides a nutritional milk-like fluid to her young (Viera & Romero, 2008).
In general, the Phidippus spp. that I raised took about eight weeks from leaving the nest until maturity.
There are numerous moults, the exact number of which varies with species and seasonality and sex and perhaps even includes individual variations. I did not ever observe Salticidae eating the exuviae as do many insects that I raise as well as other types of spiders. Most moults go smoothly with the spider inside the nest for a few days while preparing to moult and then moulting. I rarely found a bad moult, and in some cases, the spiders just needed a little assistance with removing the exuviae. Of course, it is essential not to disturb a moulting spider and nests should never be disturbed.
In the case of this young Phidippus carolinensis, I was able to use toothpicks and small tweezers to successfully remove the exuvia.
It was my experience that with bivoltine species, the spring-born generation was significantly larger and often healthier than the fall-born generation.
Following are short descriptions of individual species that I cared for.
PHIDIPPUS TEXANUS
name:
texanus: texānus is a Latinised adjective designating the geographic region of the US state of Texas.
Tradition attributes the state name to the Caddo word táy:shaʼ meaning "friend," a point disputed by some historians.
One of my elderly females having breakfast:
When I started collecting Salticidae, I was very much interested in the species Phidippus texanus. These large, elegant spiders are interesting to observe and fun to raise.
Here is one of the Moms who has already laid a couple of egg sacs. I adopted this female on 03.08.2024 as a juvenile and she moulted to full adult 06.02.2024. She laid her first set of eggs in late June.
EGGS
Eggs are yellow and laid in bulk in an egg sac inside the nest. In the case of the older female above, a few eggs fell from the egg sac and into the bottom of the container (a 32-oz plastic storage jar, see HOUSING above). I initially assumed that the eggs she had laid would not be viable. I continued to feed Mom as usual and to avoid disturbing the loose eggs or the egg sac. To my surprise, quite a number of spiderlings hatched out, grew up, and did quite well.
This is an individual Phidippus texanus egg:
BABIES and JUVENILES
After each mother laid eggs inside a nest, I would watch the nest closely for the first sign of hatchlings. These baby spiders will remain with Mom inside the nest until after their first moult:
Once the babies leave the nest, they are ready to hunt. These are second-instar Phidippus texanus spiderlings:
This Mom is pictured with her babies. She laid eggs on 09.04.2024, and the babies left the nest on 10.03.2024:
And this image is after another moult:
Here, the juvenile Phidippus texanus is developing a distinctive abdominal pattern:
This Phidippus texanus is subadult:
This subadult with nice colouring is having lunch:
And these two Phidippus texanus subadults are sharing a fly inside the large mesh rearing cage:
This beautiful subadult has recently moulted and the exuvia is shown below:
From one of my late-season egg sacs, this was my first adult (male) eight weeks after leaving the nest as a baby on October 15:
My late-season Phidippus texanus were considerably smaller than my spring adults.
And, finally, this is one of my very old females whom I had adopted as a gravid senior citizen on 08.31.2024. She laid her final eggs on 09.04.2024 and she passed away on 11.18.2024.
PHIDIPPUS AUDAX
name:
audax (Latin) audāx = bold, daring, audacious
Phidippus audax are the most commonly spotted species where I am and are generally quite abundant. I found most of mine on cacti (Opuntia) but they can be spotted on flowers and plenty of other plants as well as on man-made structures.
They are strikingly handsome and often contemplative spiders:
EGGS
I began collecting Phidippus audax, mostly juveniles, in the second week of February 2024. By May, several of my females were busy with egg sacs.
These are some May eggs in the egg sac with Mom nearby in the nest:
BABIES and JUVENILES
As with other species, I began finding P. audax spiderlings still in the egg sac and loose in the nest around three weeks after eggs were laid:
Isty-bitsiest babies:
Phidippus audax babies still in the nest:
One of my most interesting findings of Salticidae was a cohabiting pair that I found on Opuntia in central Texas. The female was subadult in a nest and cohabiting was a mature male, protecting her and waiting for his child bride to mature.
I brought the cohabiting pair home to care for and rear on 04.21.2024. The female briefly left the nest, which I retained intact, to feed for a few days. She returned to the nest, still cohabited by the male, on 04.25.2024.
She moulted to full adult on 05.05.2024. Three days later (05.08.2024), she left the nest to feed a bit more for a few days. She then laid eggs inside the nest. By this time, the male had emerged and resumed feeding.
Her first egg sac hatched at the end of May with spiderlings leaving the nest on 06.13.2024. The second group of her spiderlings left the nest on 07.06.2024, and her third clutch of spiderlings left the nest on 08.18.2024.
For most of that time, the male and female lived peaceably together in their 30-inch mesh butterfly habitat; however, on 07.17.2024, the female ate her husband. I found that the eating of one's husband is considerably more common in Phidippus audax than in any other Salticidae species I raised.
These spiderlings are still in the nest from the pair's third egg sac on 08.16.2024:
Below are Phidippus audax second-instar spiderlings who have just left the nest:
This Phidippus audax second-instar spiderling left the nest on 06.07.2024 and is ready to hunt on 06.08.2024:
These very young Phidippus audax spiderlings are quite small but still perfectly capable of catching and eating Drosophila hydei flies:
This Phidippus audax is an older baby. Note the interesting and beautiful pattern variation:
This is a juvenile Phidippus audax who has moulted, shown with exuvia. I continue to be fascinated with how much detail exuviae can show:
ADULTS
As with other species, male Phidippus audax will dance for and flirt with the ladies. This gentleman (left) is showing off his beauty for the lovely lady:
VIDEO of male
Phidippus audax FLIRTING with his wife.
PHIDIPPUS CAROLINENSIS
name:
carolinensis = Latinised adjective for "of the Carolinas" referring to the US geographic region of North Carolina and South Carolina.
The state names are likely meant to honour King Charles I of England.
Phidippus carolinensis are a bit smaller than P. arizonensis, P. audax, and P. texanus, and are very sweet with cute flirting habits. I began collecting this species in the first week of March 2024. As with adult Phidippus texanus, the adult Phidippus carolinensis are sexually dimorphic by pattern/colouring. This species also has distinctive ventral markings.
ADULTS
Below is an example of an adult female Phidippus carolinensis. Note the distinctive abdominal pattern as well as the striking iridescence:
This is one of the Moms that I cared for:
While I had several pairs of Phidippus carolinensis, the ones that I watched most closely were a particular Mom adopted 05.06.2024 and Dad adopted 04.17.2024.
Phidippus carolinensis Mom:
A picture of gravid Mom:
A dining picture (she's eating a Lucilia fly):
Phidippus carolinensis Dad (note the difference in colouring):
Interestingly, the Mom laid her eggs underneath the newspaper in the bottom of the cage (30-inch butterfly habitat). For a while I couldn't find her until I noticed that the newspaper was stuck to the bottom of the cage with webbing. The eggs hatched just fine.
BABIES:
For this late-season egg sac, the first spiderlings left the nest on 08.10.2024, becoming full adults approximately eight weeks later.
Here's a very young baby who has just left the nest:
Baby Phidippus carolinensis munching on Drosophila hydei:
And this baby is a bit older:
MY F1 ADULTS:
As with my other species, it took about eight weeks from leaving the nest to moulting to full adult.
This is one of my F1 adults (female):
PHIDIPPUS ARIZONENSIS
name:
arizonensis: Latinised term for the geographical area of the US state of Arizona.
(aridus = dry; zona = belt; ensis = of)
I only began attempting to rear the large and beautiful Phidippus arizonensis late in the season and therefore do not have an F1 generation yet to report. I raised several juveniles to adult and am now maintaining two overwintering pairs who likely have not yet mated. The ladies have made no attempt to lay eggs at this time. Each pair is housed together in separate 30-inch butterfly habitats, and as with my other spiders, I continue to offer food each day.
The Phidippus arizonensis that I collected and raised were older juveniles. Below are examples of some of the ones I raised.
SUBADULTS
Subadults show distinctive colours and patterns.
Subadult after moulting and exuvia:
Subadult munching on Lucilia fly and two weeks later as an adult:
Subadult to adult transition of one individual:
subadult here:
to adult here:
ADULTS
Below are a few images of adult Phidippus arizonensis spiders.
Phidippus arizonensis adult female:
Senior citizen female munching on mealworm:
Phidippus arizonensis wife:
COURTSHIP
As with Phidippus carolinensis, Phidippus arizonensis males are quite cute when courting their ladies.
Here is a handsome male flirting with his lady, with videos below.
VIDEO #1 of
Phidippus arizonensis flirting
VIDEO #2 of
Phidippus arizonensis flirting
VIDEO #3 of
Phidippus arizonensis flirting
HABRONATTUS
name (Greek) ἁβρός (habros) = graceful, delicate
Habronattus, small to medium-sized Salticidae, were the very first Salticidae that I collected this season. I began spotting them in the beginning of February. I believe I had at least two distinct species, one of which is likely Habronattus fallax.
I was not serious about rearing Habronattus and have very little information on them. I was not careful about collecting data and I am not even sure of what species I collected. Therefore, I will limit my discussion to simply sharing a few images showing pattern variations.
I kept the Habronattus in a single cage in which the bottom was filled with leaf litter as had been the environment in which I found them, shown here on the upper side of the image (the mesh cage):
I provided water sponges as well as apple slices and carrot and numerous Drosophila hydei for the spiders to feed on. I noticed that the Habronattus made nests at the top and corners of the mesh cage as well as inside curled leaves. They roamed freely and did not appear to threaten each other as there was plenty of room for the dozen or so that I had collected.
Here are few that I collected and cared for:
Some individuals were of a solid grey pattern, such as this adult female:
This adult male is likely Habronattus fallax:
Likewise, I believe that this adult female is Habronattus fallax:
I separated and paired up two sets of Habronattus fallax. Below is a male and female with the male's colouring a bit sharper and more distinctive.
female Habronattus fallax:
male Habronattus fallax:
female (left) with male:
This is the only F1 baby that I photographed (young i2), as I was not concentrating on this genus:
And these two adult females are my final overwintering survivors from the ones I picked up in February 2024:
PLATYCRYPTUS UNDATUS
name:
Platycryptus (Greek) πλατύς (platús)=flat + κρυπτός (kruptós)=hidden
undatus (Latin) = wavy, wavy-edged, wave-like
For the beautiful and well-camouflaged Platycryptus undatus, I only collected two subadult males, raised to adult, and then carefully released exactly where I found them.
This is one of the adult males:
And the other at his release (back to the same oak tree at the park):
CONCLUSION: The JOYS of JUMPING SPIDERS
Those of us who raise spiders quickly become aware of the fact that each spider has a unique personality with special mannerisms and habits and preferences. Such variations make these beautiful animals a tremendous joy to raise. Jumping spiders are likely quite intelligent animals in ways that we humans have not yet learned to perceive. For example and probably not surprisingly, Dahl and Cheng (2024) describe the capability of individual recognition of conspecifics within the species Phidippus regius. I think that many keepers of Salticidae believe that the spiders recognise their humans, as well. Salticidae appear to be curious, alert, sometimes deep in thought, and harbouring a lovely air of mystery about them. It's easy to discover why so many people fall in love with and keep jumping spiders as beloved pets. Of course, their irresistible cuteness doesn't hurt their case one bit.
This is a fun CNN article on why people love jumping spiders:
How jumping spiders became the new ‘it’ pets.
Second-instar Phidippus audax spiderling munching Drosophila hydei fly:
OVERWINTERING
As mentioned before, at the time of this writing (mid-winter 2024-2025), I am overwintering Phidippus texanus, Phidippus carolinensis, and Phidippus arizonensis, along with two surviving Habronattus females adopted in February 2024. I will see how the species fare overwinter. They appear to be eating very little and are fairly inactive. There are no courtship behaviours or attempts to lay eggs at this time of year. My Phidippus texanus and my Phidippus carolinensis appear to be in different stages of older juveniles and adults.
I continue to offer food to all of my spiders, even though they are not eating much in winter. Because I can no longer catch Lucilia flies (their season is over), I am offering Drosophila hydei, small mealworms, and smaller species of adult moths.
SOME CLOSING THOUGHTS on ETHICS
I think all of us who work with animals are continuously redefining, clarifying, and improving on our ethical responsibility to animals in our care and to wildlife in general. In my own case, I find myself constantly considering and struggling with ethical questions. I know that we each differ in how we progress along our individual journeys of understanding, and we can always learn to be more tolerant of others' understanding. For me, it would be wrong to sell any kind of wildlife. At the same time and perhaps hypocritically, however, I purchased a non-native species of lizard (Pogona henrylawsoni) and have also adopted two leopard geckos from a mother looking to "get rid of" hers because the kids quickly lost interest after her impulse purchase. But in general, I believe that animals are not ours to sell. Even so, perhaps in some cases the wildlife trade, when it does not involve endangered or threatened species and is performed cautiously and ethically, might lead to a stronger public appreciation and deeper respect for wildlife. With spider keepers, many of us
give specimens to other enthusiasts who otherwise might not have access to the species. I will not personally sell any animal or, of course, any information/findings that I might hold as I believe in the free exchange of information and perhaps the ethical exchange, in some cases, of animals. Readers may certainly disagree with any or all of my ideas.
This is all to say that I am opposed to the commodification of jumping spiders and other wildlife.
CELEBRATING our LITTLE FRIENDS
The 2023
CNN article referenced above includes this lovely way to honour our friends after they pass, very similar to what I do with beloved insects and spiders, returning them to the earth and thanking them for the miraculous beauty and joy that they brought to my life:
Loving and Losing Jumping Spiders
As any pet owner knows, heartbreak is inevitable when an animal’s life ends. That loss comes even sooner for jumping spider owners – the arachnids only live one or two years on average.
Wolfe has buried many jumping spiders in her lifetime, but it never seems to get easier, she said. So she’s developed a ritual for them, preparing caskets made from acorns found in her front yard.
Chai, her last spider to die, lived for a year and a half. Wolfe found an acorn big enough to fit Chai’s body and filled it with bedding for her to rest gently. Once Chai was snug inside, Wolfe topped the acorn with its cap and buried it underneath an oak tree in her garden.
Chai was a beloved member of her family, a grayish-white spider with short tufts of black hair that sat like a crown on top of her head. Her fangs were an iridescent aquamarine (Wolfe compared them to mermaid fins).
“I believe that returning them to earth is the kindest way of processing their loss and thanking them for the wonderful memories they provided to our family and to the world,” Wolfe said.
I wish for all of you who are rearing great success and tremendous pleasure with raising these precious spiders. If I can in any way be of assistance to you, please contact me.
Phidippus carolinensis - adult female:
REFERENCES
Andrew, S. (2023, March 25). How jumping spiders became the new “it” pets. CNN. https://us.cnn.com/2023/03/25/us/jumping-spider-pets-tiktok-cec/index.html
Dahl, Christoph D. & Cheng, Yaling. (2024, August 5). Individual recognition in a jumping spider (Phidippus regius). eLife 13:RP97146.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.97146.1
Vieira, C., & Romero, G. Q. (2008, May 29). Maternal care in a Neotropical jumping spider (salticidae). Maternal care in a neotropical jumping spider (Salticidae). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230282778_Maternal_care_in_a_Neotropical_jumping_spider_Salticidae
FURTHER READING
SALTICIDAE INTELLIGENCE:
Interesting study comparing two different Salticidae species with distinctive predatory behaviours on their ability to recognise and classify objects:
Dolev, Y., & Nelson, X. (2016). Biological relevance affects object recognition in jumping spiders. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 43(1), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2015.1070183
Similarly, anti-predator responses in three different European species of Salticidae:
Plate, J., & Rößler, D. C. (2024). Variation in predator recognition across three species of jumping spiders (Salticidae). Animal Behavior and Cognition, 11(1), 50-60. https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.11.01.03.2024
Using Salticidae to describe how cognitive abilities evolve:
Aguilar-Arguello, S., Nelson, X.J. Jumping spiders: An exceptional group for comparative cognition studies. Learn Behav 49, 276–291 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13420-020-00445-2
Short discussion recommending Salticidae as models for studying complex behaviours in animals:
H.H. Shen, Inside the mind of a jumping spider, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112 (21) 6521-6522. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1507451112 (2015)
A fascinating study of REM-like sleep patterns in Salticidae: (Thank you, Brandon Woo!) (And what are all those beautiful spiders dreaming about?)
Rößler, D. C., Kim, K., De Agrò, M., Jordan, A., Galizia, C. G., & Shamble, P. S. (2022). Regularly occurring bouts of retinal movements suggest an REM sleep–like state in jumping spiders. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(33), e2204754119. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35939710/
Focus on Portia (Salticidae: Spartaeinae), an araneophagic genus of Africa, Asia, and Australia:
Cross, F. R., Carvell, G. E., Jackson, R. R., & Grace, R. C. (2020). Arthropod Intelligence? The Case for Portia. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 568049. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.568049
More Portia, this time P. africana, focusing on memory:
Cross, F. R., & Jackson, R. R. (2014). Specialised use of working memory by Portia africana, a spider-eating salticid. Animal cognition, 17(2), 435–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0675-2
SALTICIDAE VISION:
Comparing the vision of Salticidae to that of humans:
Shepeleva I. P. (2021). A Comparative Analysis of the Camera-like Eyes of Jumping Spiders and Humans. Vision (Basel, Switzerland), 6(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/vision6010002
Colour vision:
Miller, Michael. “What Jumping Spiders Tell Us about Color.” UC News, 31 May 2024, www.uc.edu/news/articles/2024/05/veritasium-highlights-uc-biologists-research-on-spider-vision.html.
Eye structure and function:
Morehouse, Nathan. Current Biology, Volume 30, Issue 17, R975 - R980, 07 September 2020,
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)31067-8
Processing information regarding motion, colour, spatial detail:
Winsor, Alex M., Remage-Healey, Luke, Hoy, Ronald R., & Jakob, Elizabeth M. Visual attention and processing in jumping spiders, Trends in Neurosciences, Volume 47, Issue 1, 2024, Pages 6-8, ISSN 0166-2236,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2023.09.002.
Eye structure and perception:
Mason, Betsy. “Jumping Spiders’ Remarkable Senses Capture a World beyond Our Perception.” Science News, 25 Oct. 2021, www.sciencenews.org/article/jumping-spider-vision-eyes-color-senses-hearing-mating-courtship.
SALTICIDAE HUNTING:
Description of orientation, pursuit, capture technique of hunting:
Forster, L. M. (1977). A qualitative analysis of hunting behaviour in jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 4(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.1977.9517936
Study of whether Salticidae will eat carrion when deprived of live prey:
Wolff, Robert J. 1986. "Scavenging by Jumping Spiders (Araneae: Salticidae)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 19 (2) DOI: https://doi.org/10.22543/0090-0222.1568
An examination of the ability to identify prey in varying light conditions of two Salticidae species:
Cerveira, A. M., Jackson, R. R., & Nelson, X. J. (2019). Dim-light vision in jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae): identification of prey and rivals. The Journal of experimental biology, 222(Pt 9), jeb198069. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.198069
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