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Bold Jumper (Phidippus audax) 102108
 The
photo on the right was taken by Paige
S., somewhere in Texas. Note the pale markings on the femur of each
front leg, and on the dorsum of each palp. The arrangement of white
spots on the dorsal abdomen are definitive for the species. The bold jumper (Phidippus audax)
is a common sight in North America, from southern Canada, throughout the
United States, south to the northern portions of Central America. Inhabitants
of Hawaii are treated to seeing this spider, too, as it has recently
been transplanted there. This spider's common name reflects a
ferociously pugnacious behavior. An active hunter with sharp vision, it
stalks prey boldly, and defends its territory against even the largest
animals, including man. Consequently, getting bitten by a bold jumper is not
much of a challenge: just place a
finger near it, playfully, until you overstay your welcome and, whammo! it
leaps and bites with a vengeance. Fortunately, the bite is not of much medical
significance, but merely produces a small reddened swelling that
resolves in a few hours in most individuals, days in others, longer for
particularly sensitive persons. The bold jumper is a member of the Salticidae family which, in North America, is represented by 63 genera
and 315 species. See
Ubick et al, [2005], pages 205-207, 214, and 314, for
additional details. The generic name, Phidippus, was given by
Car Ludwig Koch Sr. (1778-1957), in 1846 (Hillyard
[1994], p.161). The word has Greek origins, and apparently
means "One who spares the horses."
*
TERMITE ENCOUNTERS *
SNAKE ENCOUNTERS * SNAKE
BITE FIRST AID *
SNAKE
EXCLUSION *
SPIDER
ENCOUNTERS *
SPIDER
BITE FIRST AID *
SPIDER
EXTERMINATION
*
PUSS CATERPILLAR ENCOUNTERS *
PUSS CATERPILLAR FIRST AID *
PUSS CATERPILLAR EXTERMINATION
*
Assembled & Edited by
Jerry Cates. Questions? Corrections? Comments?
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