Zebra spider habitat12/25/2023 Males have a more elaborate striping pattern on their legs. The abdomen is longer and narrower than the cephalothorax. They have 3-4 white stripes on their abdomens those at the base of the abdomen are complete, while those in the middle are narrow or broken. Females are larger than males and usually range from 4-6.5 mm while males range from 4-5.5 mm. Salticus scenicus (Zebra Jumper)ĭescription– “Zebras spiders are small, ranging from 4-7 mm in size. And then, when the high temps dropped back into the 80s, it was back to finding one here or there. Though I wasn’t lucky enough to see a capture, I would estimate that I saw at least a few dozen Salticus scenicus with fresh prey, usually on the shaded side of whatever surface they were on, during that heat way. I don’t know if it was just the seasonal timing, or the excessive heat itself, but large numbers of moths, lacewings, and chironomid midges and other small flies, were emerging at that time, and landing on vertical surfaces, and the zebra jumpers were feasting on them. And they were rather spectacular during the record breaking, heat dome phenomenon in late June of 2021. There is an old cemetery near my home, and as the closest thing to a ‘natural area’ in our neighborhood I often walk there, both for exercise and looking for bugs, and if I look closely I can almost always find a zebra jumper somewhere, either on the trees or on the block building in the center of the cemetery. Salticus scenicus (Zebra Jumper)Ī couple of things that I, as a recreational naturalist, really appreciate about Salticus scenicus, is that their roaming about on the vertical surfaces of man made structures makes them very findable, accessible, and observable, and because their color and pattern not only remain the same through all of their molts, but are unique among the region’s similarly shaped spiders, so that I always know, without having to find mature specimens and resort to microscopy, that what I’m looking at is indeed a zebra jumper. Like most jumping spiders they seem quite fearless, and will not only tolerate a close approach (although they often spook when the LED light comes on on my camera), but will engage with the observer, following an extended finger and even hopping up on it. Either way their attack is the same- a leap into space while tethered to the substrate by a minute bit of webbing, so that regardless of whether they’re successful or not, they can just reel themselves back to their point of departure. Like all salticids they are visual predators, and they stalk the vertical surfaces they prefer searching for prey that has landed there, or even just bugs flying by. They are not a native species, but have been reported since very early in the colonization of North America, and like many introduced species they are at least somewhat synanthropic, being found most commonly on and around man made structures. Zebra jumpers are probably the most commonly seen jumping spider (family Salticidae) in our region, although their size means we all probably miss more of them than we see.
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