(Phidippus princeps)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
Grayish jumping spider is a common, medium-sized spider. It occurs in the United States and southern Canada east of the Great Plains. It is common in Minnesota. It is found in meadows, old fields, the understory of hardwood forests, and woodland edges. It has also been found in the nests of mud dauber wasps. Adults are most commonly seen in spring and in late summer to fall. Grayish jumping spider is small to medium-sized for a jumping spider, but it is one of the largest jumping spiders in our area. Females are ¼″ to ½″ (6.00 to 11.46 mm) in length. Males are much smaller, 3⁄16″ to 5⁄16″ (4.36 to 8.54 mm) in length. Adults have a ⅜″ to ⅝″ (10 to 15 mm) legspan. The body is heavy and very hairy. The front part of the body (cephalothorax) is robust. The plate covering the cephalothorax (carapace) is longer than wide, high, and convex, not flat. On the male it is very dark brown, on the female it is lighter. On the male, the area defined by the eyes (ocular quadrangle) is iridescent. The rear part of the ocular quadrangle is sparse. There are four pairs of eyes arranged in what appears to be three rows. The first row of four eyes is curved backward. The middle and forward-most pair of these is by far the largest of all of the eyes and can be moved. The second row of two eyes is closer to the first row than it is to the third row, which is set far back on the head. The second and third rows form a square. The jaws (chelicerae) are small. On the female, the chelicerae have a white band and a white fringe. There are two sensory appendages (palps) associated with the mouthparts. On the male, each palp has a conspicuous white stripe on top (dorsally). The rear part of the body (abdomen) is egg shaped, widest in the middle, and tapered to the end. The abdomen of the male in the north, including Minnesota, is entirely tan except for a row of black spots on each side near the middle (median spots). In the south, the abdomen of the male may be tan or orange. On the female, the abdomen is entirely brown or tan, usually without any spots. The legs are short and hairy. On the male, the fringe on the front legs has an alternating black and white fringe. The fringe is short to medium except on the fifth leg segment (tibia), where it is long. |
Size |
Female Body Length: ¼″ to ½″ (6.00 to 11.46 mm) Male Body Length: 3⁄16″ to 5⁄16″ (4.36 to 8.54 mm) Legspan: ⅜″ to ⅝″ (10 to 15 mm) |
Web |
No web |
Similar Species |
Habitat |
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Biology |
Season |
Spring and late summer to fall |
Behavior |
Grayish jumping spider hunts by chasing prey on vegetation. |
Life Cycle |
Early stage spiderlings overwinter. Adults reach maturity in the spring. |
Food |
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Distribution |
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Sources Edwards, G. B. (2004). Revision of the jumping spiders of the genus Phidippus (Araneae: Salticidae). Occasional Papers of the Florida State Collection of Arthropods 11: 1-156. |
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7/16/2024 | ||
Occurrence |
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Common |
Taxonomy |
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Class |
Arachnida (arachnids) |
Order |
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Suborder |
Araneomorphae (typical spiders) |
Infraorder |
Entelegynae |
Superfamily |
Salticoidea |
Family |
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Subfamily |
Salticinae (typical jumping spiders) |
Tribe |
Dendryphantini |
Subtribe |
Dendryphantina |
Genus |
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no rank |
Phidippus audax complex |
Subordinate Taxa |
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grayish jumping spider (Phidippus princeps ssp. princeps) grayish jumping spider (Phidippus princeps ssp. pulcherrimus) |
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Synonyms |
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Attus insolens Phidippus castrensis |
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Common Names |
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grayish jumper grayish jumping spider prince jumping spider sinuous tufted jumping spider |
Glossary
Cephalothorax
The front part of the body of various arthropods, composed of the head region and the thoracic area fused together. Eyes, legs, and antennae are attached to this part.
Chelicerae
The pair of stout mouthparts, corresponding to jaws, in arachnids and other arthropods in the subphylum Chelicerata.
Palp
Short for pedipalp. A segmented, finger-like process of an arthropod; one is attached to each maxilla and two are attached to the labium. They function as sense organs in spiders and insects, and as weapons in scorpions. Plural: palpi or palps.
Tibia
The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot). The fifth segment of a spider leg or palp.
Visitor Photos |
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Babette Kis |
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Phidippus princeps grayish jumping spider (no common name) Phidippus princeps on common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, Barnes Prairie, Racine, WI. These cute jumpers were very tolerant of the close proximity of my macro camera, and ran up and down the milkweed stems, enabling me to get a number of nice pictures on Sept. 4, 2022. I've only seen these spiders living in tallgrass prairie habitat over the last seven years. I've found them on wild bergamot, common milkweed, compass plant and Canada goldenrod. Photos are of two different spiders, each about 8 mm long. |
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Other Videos |
Phidippus princeps - Jumping Spider |
About
Nov 25, 2010 males and females, adults and immatures Phidippus princeps jumping spider |
Cute Jumping Spider-Female Phidippus Princeps |
About
Oct 31, 2014 A female phidippus princeps I found on the front porch. I took her to where the woods meets a field to lessen her chances of being killed when the house gets a pressure washing. |
Macro Video of a Phidippus princeps Jumping Spider |
About
Nov 12, 2008 A nice little Phidippus princeps "chewing" on her (his?) feet, cleaning her eyes, and her fangs. Lots of fun palp movement, and a few glimpses of fang. To see more of my spider photos on flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/7539598@N04/ |
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Created: 7/16/2024 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |