# Giant Black Jumping spider



## Crysta (Jul 4, 2010)

No pictures sorry!! buuut I think the size would q in on the species. 

It was half the size of my pinky. An inch or more. 
All black, except it had purple mettalic fangs with some light blue to them.
I tried googling it, but I only got those yellow ones.
I am postive this was a female, as she had no male palpies of sperm..

I was about to take a picture when it jumped off the balcony, 2 stories.....with its safety line. Then it swung away on a wall and into a crevice.

This was in cuernavaca mexico. About 40 minute bus ride on a good day from mexico city. And I mean no traffic....but in mexico there is too much traffic...so I just imagine the 40 minutes as regular speed of 90km/h

Thanks!


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## TheTyro (Jul 5, 2010)

Well it was definitely in the genus Phidippus. She/he sounds like the black morph of P. regius, they get massive and have the violet/purple with a bit of blue fangs. Though they do not live in Mexico, and I don't see them in the range maps in the _Revision of the Genus Phidippus._ so it can't be them. Plus you say your specimen was solid black...but as an example, the Phidippus regius Giant Black morph probably looks very similar.

Like this one: http://bugguide.net/node/view/170000/bgimage

The only Phidippus with a picture I can see that is practically solid black is Phidippus boei, but it lives in the Baja peninsula rather than the mainland. There are several species of Phidippus that live in mexico, I'll list them as I find them in the maps even if they aren't located in your area, should it be useful for anyone else down the line.

**Phidippus octopunctatus* ( in the area you saw your jumper, is gray colored, males are black with gray scaling http://bugguide.net/node/view/105011 )
**Phidippus georgii* ( also in the area, I believe they say they appear identical to octopunctatus? I'll have to double check)
*Phidippus zethus* ( Not in your location, more to the West coast, No idea what they look like.)
*Phidippus comatus *( same as above, yellow/white/black http://bugguide.net/node/view/71575 )
*Phidippus toro* ( not nearby your location, not solid black)
*Phidippus asotus* ( same as above, white/red/black/orange http://bugguide.net/node/view/49207 )
**Phidippus adonis* ( does live in the area you were at, I'll have to find out what it looks like)
*Phidippus arizonensis* ( nearby but not exactly where you were, orange/cream/black/yellow http://bugguide.net/node/view/92714 )
*Phidippus cruentus* ( same as above, they are further up north/east)
*Phidippus carneus* ( kinda nearby your location, black and red with white http://bugguide.net/node/view/27093 ) 
*Phidippus pompatus* ( nearby your area, no idea what it looks like)
*Phidippus phoenix *( lives in the Baja area too, like boei, is black/red/orange/white http://bugguide.net/node/view/26342 )
*Phidippus pius* ( lives far from your area, looks orange/yellow-ish http://bugguide.net/node/view/51320 )
**Phidippus dianthus* ( lives in the area you were at, no clue what it looks like, i'll have to find out)
*Phidippus venus* ( further North/East from your area, no idea what it looks like)
**Phidippus cerberus *( in your area, no idea what it looks like)
**Phidippus albulatus* ( near your area)
*Phidippus maddisoni* ( nearby your area, more to the West/North)
*Phidippus audax* (near your area, but more towards the North/East black white/variations with orange http://bugguide.net/node/view/2006 )
**Phidippus bidentatus* ( no idea what it looks like, right in your area)
*Phidippus clarus* ( not nearby your location, black/white/red/cream/orange http://bugguide.net/node/view/2036 )
*Phidippus tux* ( not in your area, cream/white/black http://bugguide.net/node/view/260407 )
*Phidippus cardinalis* ( A ways South from your location, black/red http://bugguide.net/node/view/6786 )
*Phidippus mimicus* ( same as above, but also some to the West of your location, not sure what they look like)
*Phidippus apacheanus *( not in your location, further up North, black/red/orange/yellow)
*Phidippus amans* (A ways up North/East form your location, not sure what they look like)
*Phidippus johnsoni *(on the tip of the Baja peninsula, black/orangey red/white  http://bugguide.net/node/view/15152 )
*Phidippus texanus* ( not in your area, up North/East, white/orange/black/cream, http://bugguide.net/node/view/158731 )
*Phidippus morpheus* ( just a bit West of P. texanus, no idea what it looks like )
*Phidippus ardens* ( up North, not in your area, black/orange http://bugguide.net/node/view/63084 ) 

*= in your location

So I'll do some actual reading ( not just picture browsing) and see from the ones nearby you, if any look similar.


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## Crysta (Jul 5, 2010)

oh wow tyro thanks for the help! I am so useless finding families,  but now I know its phidippus Ill keep a lookout! 
Oh how I wish I was able to take a picture!!! damnit!


Btw! It's not regius. Although it's the closets resemblence. 
edit
Also reminds me of Audax, for the darkness of color. 
This jumper was fatter, and seems to have stockier/wider legs. It had a more velvety appearance, and blacker. Although the color of the fangs are almost identical except missing a bit of blue shine in the photo. Like the purple was in the middle with blue on the sides.

I never got a chance to look at the underside of the spider so I can not say if there was any pattern under there.

thank you.


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## TheTyro (Jul 5, 2010)

Pleaaaaassee get a picture XD I'd LOVE to see this mystery critter, especially if I can find a description to match it! I'll read through the revision soon and see if anything fits.


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## Crysta (Jul 5, 2010)

sadly I am not in mexico no more  I left in january  I did not think it would be so hard to get an ID on such a big jumper, but I guess I was wrong. ahah!
I even had it in my hand till it jumped off of me over the balcony!~ grr


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## TheTyro (Jul 5, 2010)

So. Lucky. My dream is to have giant Phidippus jumpers. My largest one is like 17 mm....

half a pinky sounds friggen big!

Are you going back there sometime? if you are...hunt some more down! It's too bad you can't bring them up here.


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## Crysta (Jul 24, 2010)

tyrooo!!! i think i found it!!! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oRRBPdM6Wc
 happy times it's exactly like this beast!!! but abit fatter and had a purplelish blue teeth  maybe thats what the female differences are?


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## Balkastalkman (Jul 25, 2010)

nope those are from asia.....sorry lol


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## Crysta (Jul 25, 2010)

aww seriously? then what is almost exactly similar, in size, appearence...but is female.... like that... in mexico? lol


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## TheTyro (Jul 25, 2010)

I wouldn't say it's impossible that a Hyllus jumper could make it's way into Mexico, but I don't really think it's likely. Plus, Hyllus jumpers don't have metallic chelicerae. (in a photo of this same jumper fromt hat video, the chelicerae actually do look semi-metallic. ) But dang..that male is absolutely amazing. :drool:

I did ask the guy who wrote the book on Phids about your jumper. He said he didn't know, but he'd be interested in photos of it. Maybe it's an undescribed species!


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## Crysta (Jul 25, 2010)

TheTyro said:


> I wouldn't say it's impossible that a Hyllus jumper could make it's way into Mexico, but I don't really think it's likely. Plus, Hyllus jumpers don't have metallic chelicerae. (in a photo of this same jumper fromt hat video, the chelicerae actually do look semi-metallic. ) But dang..that male is absolutely amazing. :drool:
> 
> I did ask the guy who wrote the book on Phids about your jumper. He said he didn't know, but he'd be interested in photos of it. Maybe it's an undescribed species!


Bahh I need to send my mexican to go look for it.. hehehe :") 
I want one so bad  i love jumpers hehe ill get some someday lol


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## Merkalee (Jul 26, 2010)

The jumper in the YouTube video had been purchased on the internet, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities that onw could be found outside of Asia...


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## cacoseraph (Jul 28, 2010)

TheTyro said:


> So. Lucky. My dream is to have giant Phidippus jumpers. My largest one is like 17 mm....
> 
> half a pinky sounds friggen big!
> 
> Are you going back there sometime? if you are...hunt some more down! It's too bad you can't bring them up here.


there are octo's available from time to time.  they are in southern CA and probably go a aways down into Mexico


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## TheTyro (Jul 28, 2010)

cacoseraph said:


> there are octo's available from time to time.  they are in southern CA and probably go a aways down into Mexico


I know, I am actually hunting down Phidippus in my state that resemble octopunctatus, but are believed to be a different (undescribed) species. The one photo I have seen of a female from my state and hunting location was about 25mm. 

So. Big. :drool:


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## cacoseraph (Jul 28, 2010)

oh my!

i would love to do a photoshoot with those and the midget scorpions around here... would be a bit of a mind blower, i think... we have an introduced 25mm adult scorp and a native that is around 35mm


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## mindstorm (Aug 10, 2010)

TheTyro said:


> I wouldn't say it's impossible that a Hyllus jumper could make it's way into Mexico, but I don't really think it's likely. Plus, Hyllus jumpers don't have metallic chelicerae. (in a photo of this same jumper fromt hat video, the chelicerae actually do look semi-metallic. ) But dang..that male is absolutely amazing. :drool:
> 
> I did ask the guy who wrote the book on Phids about your jumper. He said he didn't know, but he'd be interested in photos of it. Maybe it's an undescribed species!


wat phiddipus book are u refering to? can i get it from amazon?


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