{"id":15317,"date":"2024-09-18T10:40:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T15:40:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/?p=15317"},"modified":"2024-09-18T10:40:52","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T15:40:52","slug":"zebra-jumping-spider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/zebra-jumping-spider\/","title":{"rendered":"Zebra Jumping Spider"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Greetings, BugFans,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BugLady was moseying around her cottage, photographing doodlebug digs, when she spotted this very small (maybe \u00bc\u201d) jumping spider with its prey.\u00a0It was on a sunny, south-facing wall – right where it was supposed to be!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zebra spiders, aka Zebra jumpers (Salticus scenicus<\/em>) are in the family Salticidae, the Jumping spiders.\u00a0Salticus<\/em>\u00a0is Latin for \u201cdancing,\u201d and\u00a0scenicus<\/em>\u00a0is Greek for \u201ctheatrical\u201d or \u201cof a decorative place,\u201d and refers to the spider\u2019s flashy colors, which can look iridescent in the right light.\u00a0Thanks to BugFan Mike, as always, for the ID. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re on a roll here, having recently introduced the non-native Clover weevil and the (probably) non-native American Copper butterfly.\u00a0The Zebra spider\u2019s original range included Europe and western Asia.\u00a0It was first collected in North America (in Illinois) in 1933, and now it occupies most of the northern two-thirds of North America. It\u2019s an urban spider that loves the sun-warmed sides of buildings, but it\u2019s also found away from human habitation, on bare rocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s some variation in pattern and color, and spiders that live in polluted urban areas may be all black.\u00a0Look at the side view<\/a>.\u00a0Males have large, black jaws called chelicerae<\/a>. Like all jumping spiders, Zebra spiders have appealing (some say cute) faces<\/a>\u00a0– jumping spiders have fan clubs and Facebook pages, largely because of the size and arrangement of their eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jumping spiders have eight eyes, four facing forward and four facing upwards – they have depth perception, can judge distances, and can see in color.\u00a0Research suggests that when the lateral eyes on each side of those big median eyes pick up motion, they tell the median eyes where to look.\u00a0The four eyes on top of the head (cephalothorax) sense movement (helpful for dodging predators) and light.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zebra spiders don\u2019t spin for their supper, they jump (and they can jump as far as four inches). They stalk their prey brazenly by creeping directly at it, but if their prey is much larger than they are, they sneak up from behind.\u00a0Either way, they attach a silken drag line to the substrate as they leap, in case they miss or in case they and their prey tumble over the edge. They bite, subdue, and eat their prey on the spot \u2013 they don\u2019t wrap and store it because they have no web to store it in.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do they eat?\u00a0Various kinds of flies<\/a>, including mosquitoes, are favorites, but they go after insects that are much larger than they are [ 1 <\/a>, 2 <\/a>].\u00a0They find ants distasteful, but they will eat their fellow spiders<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Females attract wandering males with pheromones, and courtship is visual – males dance, and the best dancers win. Faint heart ne\u2019er won fair maid.\u00a0He waves his front legs and chelicerae and displays his patterned abdomen (so that she doesn\u2019t think he\u2019s prey).\u00a0If she\u2019s impressed (and scientists don\u2019t know exactly which moves will light her fire), she\u2019ll crouch and let him approach.\u00a0Sometimes males mistakenly display in front of other males, which results in ritualized battles that are won by the most aggressive fighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She produces a silken sac that holds 15 to 20 eggs and hides it under leaves or debris, and she guards it until the eggs have hatched<\/a>. The spiderlings stay with her until after their second molt, and then they disperse. They overwinter as almost-mature spiders and may live for a year or two.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun Facts about Zebra Spiders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Their jumps are driven not by muscles, but by hydraulic pressure \u2013 the spider increases the pressure of its\u00a0haemolymph<\/em>\u00a0(blood), and that causes the 4th<\/sup>\u00a0set of legs to straighten, which propels it off the ground.\u00a0The fact that the spines on a spider\u2019s leg stand up as its legs straighten is considered proof of that explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2)    Zebra and other jumping spiders can abseil\/rappel down walls and rock faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3)    Cushions of hairs on the bottoms of their feet have adhesive qualities and allow them to walk on smooth, vertical surfaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4)    Zebra jumpers operate during the day, and they retreat into silk shelters spun in crevices and under leaves and bark by night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5)    Vibrations (like buzzing wings) help Jumping spiders recognize their prey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If a Zebra spider accidentally comes inside, it might take up residence in the corner of a window.\u00a0No \u2013 it can\u2019t bite us \u2013 not even a little bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BugLady<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady was moseying around her cottage, photographing doodlebug digs, when she spotted this very small (maybe \u00bc\u201d) jumping spider with its prey.\u00a0It was on a sunny, south-facing wall – right where it was supposed to be! Zebra …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32664,"featured_media":15318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[8],"tags":[607,80,614,853,31,876,877],"class_list":["post-15317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bug-of-the-week","tag-bugs","tag-flies","tag-insects","tag-jumping-spiders","tag-spiders","tag-zebra-jumping-spider","tag-zebra-siders"],"yoast_head":"\nField Station<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/field-station\/bug-of-the-week\/zebra-jumping-spider\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zebra Jumping Spider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Greetings, BugFans, The BugLady was moseying around her cottage, photographing doodlebug digs, when she spotted this very small (maybe \u00bc\u201d) jumping spider with its prey.\u00a0It was on a sunny, south-facing wall – right where it was supposed to be! 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