Like sand, like spider?

  

Here's another great example of camouflage with beach sand.  Eric photographed this jumping spider, Terralona californica, on 21 August 2024.

It's a little bit easier to see than the isopod, but it's still impressive to see how well the colors of the spider match the colors of the sand:

 

 

Although they are small and can be overlooked, we often see Terralona running along the high tide line on the beach, and sometimes catching small flies.  Here's the same spider from the front, showing its large eyes:

 

 

 

Thanks for the great photos, Eric!

 

Agility training?

 

 

This wonderful jumping spider was jumping (and I mean jumping!) across a trail to Race Point beach in Provincetown, MA, today (28 September 2022).  

 

I think it might be Habronattus agilis (agilis would be a good descriptor).  Check out its cool alternating stripes: 

 

 

 

P.S.  For a fun video clip of this species (and many others), see Dick Walton's web page on jumping spiders here.  

Lunch guest

  

This little jumping spider joined us outside for lunch today (2 October 2021).  The last time I saw this species, I thought it might be Habronattus tarsalis.  The bright orange legs are quite something!

Beach denizens

  

Eric and I made a quick trip out to the outer beach on Point Reyes yesterday (5 June 2021).  A few fun beach invertebrate highlights included this Red-backed Jumping Spider (Phidippus johnsoni) hanging out in a large piece of driftwood (above), a nice look at some Western Tiger Beetles (Cicindela oregona) along the upper beach near a freshwater seep :

 

 

 

Noticeably abundant amphipods, or beach hoppers, feeding on drift algae washed up along the strand line:

 

 

 

 

And a Pictured Rove Beetle (Thinopinus pictus) feeding on the aforementioned amphipods (!):

 

 

 

Taking notice

Eric noticed this small jumping spider on his T-shirt, so we went out in the backyard for a photo:

 

It was an excellent jumper, so before we knew it, the spider ended up on my jacket and started looking around: 

 

This juvenile Red-backed Jumping Spider (Phidippus johnsoni) seemed to be taking notice of everything:

 

What eyes!  What a face!  What a "hair-do"!  

Keep your eyes open

 

I was sitting down to think about what I might post about tonight, when I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye.  A jumping spider appeared on the edge of my computer screen!  Not a digital one, a real one!

It was a good opportunity for a few close-ups.  The spider was upside down, but it was a great view of those beautiful eyes!  And I love the little rim of hairs wrapping around the perimeter of the eyes.  (Do the hairs help keep the eyes clean, like eyelashes?)

 

Then the spider went on a journey across the table (before being escorted outside).  Here it is on a napkin:

 

And a dorsal view on a place mat:

 

I appreciated the timely visit from this charismatic spider.

P.S.  I think I first wrote about the Red-backed Jumping Spider (Phidippus johnsoni) on 30 January 2013 — see the post called "Zip line".

Bold

We were doing some yard work this afternoon, when Eric noticed a very dark spider.  I was excited to see that it was a jumping spider with iridescent green chelicera.  Here it is after launching onto Eric's hand (!):

 

Meet the Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax).  "Bold" is an appropriate name for this species — it was very active and an incredible jumper, covering distances many times its own body length.

Here's a close-up:

 

As you can see, this spider is predominantly black, but there are silvery bands on the legs and white markings on the abdomen:

 

It was fun to meet this spider during an afternoon of chores.

Sprinkled with pollen

This morning Eric and I were watching a Red-backed Jumping Spider (Phidippus johnsoni) when it started tracking something above it.  Then all of a sudden, it jumped and caught something!

I could see yellow, and here's what I saw when I zoomed in:

 

The spider caught a small bee!

Here's one more photo of the spider taking away its prey (presumably to a safe spot for eating):

 

I wondered what the spider thought about the pollen.  We couldn't stay to watch, but it would have been interesting to see if the spider ate the pollen-covered legs or left them behind.

P.S.  I first wrote about Red-backed Jumping Spiders in a post called "Zip line" on 30 January 2013.

The Standoff

I was watching a jumping spider crawl along a rock face in the high intertidal zone.  As it approached a limpet, I wasn't sure what it would do — would it crawl around the limpet?

 

Nope!  It crawled right up onto the limpet.

The spider kept going, moving towards the crevice. 

And then this happened:

 

A juvenile Striped Shore Crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes) emerged from the crevice and moved towards the spider.  The crab appeared to be defending its space.

What do you think happened?

The spider retreated and crawled further up the rock wall.

I don't think I had ever considered a standoff between a jumping spider and an intertidal crab.  In retrospect, since there is overlap in the habitat they utilize, I supposed it shouldn't have been a surprise.  But it sure was fun to see it today! 

 

Traveling day

Today was mostly a traveling day, but below are a few images from brief stops here and there along the way:

 

 Close-up of Common Green Darner (Anax junius) in Walpole, MA

 

A wonderful jumping spider with bright emerald green palps!  The next picture shows the same spider from above.  These were taken in North Eastham, MA.

 

 

Sunset over Cape Cod Bay

The little explorer

I looked down among some grasses and sedges near Campbell Cove today to see a small jumping spider with a highly patterned abdomen:

 

It was doing a lot of exploring...

 

 

...and looking around.

 

I'm wondering if this might be a species of Phidippus, but I'm not sure yet.  I'll have to ask for some help and will report back if anyone has feedback about an identification.

 

Zip line

We interrupt this week's focus on marine invertebrates for a short jumping spider story.  Today I ate lunch on a wooden bench in the warm midday sun.  I looked down to see a dark jumping spider nearby.  I was excited because I hadn't seen one in a while.

 

The spider was exploring various part of the bench.  Here's a view from above showing the orange sides of the abdomen.

 

Eventually it spent some time at the lower right corner of the bench.

 

It turned upside down and started releasing a silk thread!

 

Spiders often do this hoping to snag the loose end of the thread on a nearby object.  I thought about what might be to the right of the bench. "Hmmm...there's nothing to the right of this bench...except my leg." 

(I was sitting on the ground with my right leg up while trying to photograph the spider.)

The spider turned around and tested the thread to see if it had been anchored.  I was looking through the camera the entire time, so I couldn't really see where the silk had landed.

 

Then the spider jumped on to the thread (using it like a zip line).

 

And this is the next picture I got:

 

The silk had found my leg!  And now I had a jumping spider on my jeans!

 

What a beautiful little spider.  I was happy to be a part of its afternoon adventures.

 

ADDENDUM (31 JANUARY 2013): Thanks to Dick Walton for helping to identify this as a Red-backed Jumping Spider (Phidippus johnsoni).

Jumping into September

 

This jumping spider was exploring the sand and piles of bleached drift algae on the upper beach on 31 August 2012.  

Here's a dorsal view showing the bronzy (autumnal) upper surfaces of the cephalothorax and the abdomen (the lower surfaces were entirely black).

 

  

It was striking how well the color of this salticid matched the color of the dried seaweeds (see below).

 

Here are a few more photos of the spider in different positions.  Note that these sand grains were very coarse.  The spider itself was close to 1 cm long.

 

 

I'm wondering if this is Terralonus californicus?  Although its coloration is quite different from other individuals I've seen in this habitat (see post from 11 March 2012), perhaps this species is just variable.  If you have any thoughts about the identification, please offer your suggestions.

Another note: There were quite a few very small jumping spiders in the wrack line yesterday.  I don't have a feel for their life cycle yet, but this might be a good time of year to see juveniles.

  

Lunch on the beach

 

Beach Morning Glory (Calystegia soldanella), a native perennial found growing in coastal strand areas along the West Coast.  Note the thick kidney-shaped leaves trailing over the sand.

While photographing these beautiful flowers near Dillon Beach on 11 June 2012, I noticed quite a few insects on the petals and was delighted to discover that one of the visitors was not an insect but an arachnid — a tiny jumping spider!  (See left side of flower below.)

 

This spider was only a few millimeters long, but here are my best shots:

 

I couldn't see it in the field, but the photos reveal that the spider had captured an insect, perhaps a fly.  Look for the wings and legs of the prey being held by the spider. 

 

The spider eventually jumped off the morning glory flower and onto the beach.  It just about disappeared against the background of sand grains — compare the colors of the spider with the colors of the sand in the first image.

In thinking about this little spider, I can't help imagining that crossing the beach to look for prey in a morning glory flower isn't such a bad way to enjoy lunch on the beach.

P.S.  I've been lucky so far in identifying several local salticids, but I don't have a guess on this one yet.  If you do, let me know!