peppered jumping spider

(Pelegrina galathea)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
peppered jumping spider
Photo by Babette Kis
 
Description

Peppered jumping spider is a common, small, white-cheeked jumping spider. It occurs in the United States from the East Coast to the Great Plains, and in southern Ontario Canada.

Adults are active from April to October. They are found in open, grassy areas, including openings in forests and woodlands, savannas, brushy areas, agricultural crops, roadsides, and around houses.

Females are to 316 (3.6 to 5.4 mm). They have a legspan of ¼ to 516 (6 to 8 mm). Males are smaller, to 316 (3.2 to 4.7 mm). Males and females are very different in appearance.

On the male, the front part of the body (cephalothorax) is high and convex when viewed from the side. The plate covering the cephalothorax (carapace) is mostly dark brown. There are four pairs of eyes arranged in what appears to be three rows occupying only two fifths of the carapace. The first row of four eyes, consisting of the anterior median eyes (AME) and the anterior lateral eyes (ALE), is curved backward. The AME are the middle and forward-most pair of these. They are by far the largest of all of the eyes, about twice as large as the ALE, and they can be moved. The second row of two eyes are the posterior median eyes (PME). They are very small and are barely or not at all noticeable on most photos. The third row of eyes is the posterior lateral eyes (PLE). The PLE are set far back on the head and are only slightly wider apart than the first row of four eyes (AME and ALE together). The PME and ALE form a wide rectangle. There is a broad white stripe (lateral stripe) on each side of the cephalothorax. Another broad white stripe on each side leads from the AME back to the PLE. There is a white stripe on each cheek that is separated from the lateral stripe by a dark area. Behind the eyes there are three white spots forming a rearward-pointing triangle. The rearmost spot is often indistinct or missing.

On the male, the abdomen is dark brown with a broad white stripe on each side. On the female, the abdomen is light brown. There are five pairs of dark chevrons or spots, each bordered in front by a white stripe. The front two pairs are indistinct.

The legs are short, oriented forward, and adapted for jumping. Alternating black and pale areas form distinct rings.

 

Size

Female Body Length: to 316 (3.6 to 5.4 mm)

Male Body Length: to 316 (3.2 to 4.7 mm)

Legspan: ¼ to 516 (6 to 8 mm)

 

Web

No web

 

Similar Species

Peppered jumping spider is very similar to and often misidentified as common white-cheeked jumping spider (Pelegrina proterva). Common white-cheeked jumping spider is slightly larger. Males are lighter, reddish brown instead of dark brown. There is a bold white band across the forehead that touches the top of the AME. On the female, there are only four pairs of spots on the abdomen, and the spots are not chevrons.

Habitat

Open, grassy areas, including openings in forests and woodlands, savannas, brushy areas, agricultural crops, roadsides, and around houses.

Biology

Season

 

 

Behavior

 

 

Life Cycle

 

 

Food

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

29, 30, 82, 83.

9/26/2024    
     

Occurrence

 

Taxonomy

Class

Arachnida (arachnids)

Order

Araneae (spiders)

Suborder

Araneomorphae (typical spiders)

Infraorder

Entelegynae

Superfamily

Salticoidea

Family

Salticidae (jumping spiders)

Subfamily

Salticinae (typical jumping spiders)

Tribe

Dendryphantini

Subtribe

Dendryphantina

Genus

Pelegrina (white-cheeked jumping spiders)

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Attus galathea

Attus nubilus

Attus parvu

Beata digitata

Dendryphantes digitatus

Dendryphantes nubilus

Dendryphantes ornatus

Euophrys leucophaea

Frigga leucophaea

Icius crassiventer

Metaphidippus digitatus

Metaphidippus galathea

Metaphidippus nubilus

Pelegrina crassiventer

Pelegrina digitata

Pelegrina leucophaea

Pelegrina nubilis

Pelegrina ornata

Pelegrina parva

Phidippus galathea

Zygoballus parvus

   

Common Names

peppered jumper

peppered jumping spider

peppered white-cheeked jumping spider

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Carapace

The hard, upper (dorsal), shell-like covering (exoskeleton) of the body or at least the thorax of many arthropods and of turtles and tortoises. On crustaceans, it covers the cephalothorax. On spiders, the top of the cephalothorax made from a series of fused sclerites.

 

Cephalothorax

The front part of a spider’s body, composed of the head region and the thoracic area fused together. Eyes, legs, and antennae are attached to this part.

 

 

 

 

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Babette Kis

Pelegrina galathea, peppered jumper

Peppered jumper, Pelegrina galathea, photos taken Sept. 26, 2024 and Oct. 3, 2024 at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI. Easily overlooked, these tiny (about 3 1/2 mm) spiders can move quickly.

peppered jumping spider   peppered jumping spider
   

 

peppered jumping spider  

 

 

Pelegrina galathea peppered jumping spider

Pelegrina galathea, peppered jumper, photographed at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on June 8, 2023. This small jumper was on a low-growing shrub.

peppered jumping spider   peppered jumping spider
     

Pelegrina galathea, peppered jumping spider

Pelegrina galathea, the peppered jumper, is a very small spider (about 5 mm). Photos were taken at Barnes Prairie, May and June, 2024.

peppered jumping spider   peppered jumping spider
     
peppered jumping spider   peppered jumping spider
     

Pelegrina galathea, peppered jumper

Pelegrina galathea, peppered jumper, photographed at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on June 6, 2024.

peppered jumping spider   peppered jumping spider
   

 

peppered jumping spider  

 

Alfredo Colon

peppered jumping spider   peppered jumping spider
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
   

 

   

 

 

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Other Videos

Pelegrina galathea (Walckenaer, 1837) Middlesex Co., MA ♂♀ (2 forms)
Dick Walton

About

Nov 25, 2010

For narrative account, additional data, and usage see: https://www.rkwalton.com/pelegrina-galathea/

 

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Visitor Sightings
 

Report a sighting of this arachnid.

 

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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.

Babette Kis
10/3/2024

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

… and Oct. 3, 2024 at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI. Easily overlooked, these tiny (about 3 1/2 mm) spiders can move quickly.

peppered jumping spider

Babette Kis
9/26/2024

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Peppered jumper, Pelegrina galathea, photos taken Sept. 26, 2024 …

peppered jumping spider

Babette Kis
6/6/2024

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Pelegrina galathea, peppered jumper, photographed at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on June 6, 2024.

peppered jumping spider

Babette Kis
6/3/2024

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Pelegrina galathea, the peppered jumper, is a very small spider (about 5 mm). Photos were taken at Barnes Prairie, May and June, 2024.

peppered jumping spider

Babette Kis
5/30/2024

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

 

peppered jumping spider

Babette Kis
6/8/2023

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Pelegrina galathea, peppered jumper, photographed at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on June 8, 2023. This small jumper was on a low-growing shrub.

peppered jumping spider

Alfredo Colon
8/4/2022

Location: Albany, NY

peppered jumping spider
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Created: 9/26/2024

Last Updated:

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