"FRUIT FLY MURDER: IS IT WRONG?" Interview with a Baby Jumping Spider (What Species, I Wonder?)

Reluctant Widow Mother

Arachnosquire
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Aug 24, 2021
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70
Back in the fall, I noticed a D. melanogaster-sized spider descending from my mother's ceiling. I grabbed its web and gently placed it on the counter. I was delighted when it started performing itty-bitty jumps. My mother's house is in the country, so lots of critters end up in the house and on the property. Most arthropods that come inside end up in glue traps. A jumping spider that small had very little chance of finding a meal and an excellent change of being eaten or ending up in a glue trap. So, I took him home. He's molted once and has quadrupled in size. With the aid of a camera lens, I was finally able to make out some of his features today. I love his rust-colored head and white monobrow. Does anyone want to take a stab at identifying what species he is?

"FRUIT FLY MURDER: IS IT WRONG?" Interview with a Baby Jumping Spider
P1160748 - Fruit Fly Murder - Is It Wrong - Text.jpg
P1160747 Is it possible to fit two more fruit flies - Text.jpg
P1160764 Whatchoo Lookin' At - Text.jpg
P1160760 Booger on the Wall with Fruit Fly - Text.jpg
 

egyptiancrow

Arachnobaron
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Apr 30, 2021
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403
location for iding? iding babies is much harder than iding adults. i have a few genus ideas but id like an idea of the range :)
 

Reluctant Widow Mother

Arachnosquire
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Aug 24, 2021
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location for iding? iding babies is much harder than iding adults. i have a few genus ideas but id like an idea of the range :)
I knew identifying juveniles might be difficult. I live almost due east of San Francisco in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.
 

egyptiancrow

Arachnobaron
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Apr 30, 2021
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403
the overall appearance and legs makes me think of attulus sp, but its hard to see without a full back shot, as nicole c g asked can we see a top down dorsal shot? its not a phidippus or a habronattus from those legs.
 

Reluctant Widow Mother

Arachnosquire
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Aug 24, 2021
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OK, this is the best I can do for now because the spider is so very tiny. I'll give you a semi-dorsal view and a ventral view.

Semi-dorsal view:

P1160745 semi-dorsal shot.jpg
Ventral view:
P1160743 Doug on Wall with Fruit Fly.jpg
 

Nicole C G

Arachnoangel
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Jun 23, 2021
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the overall appearance and legs makes me think of attulus sp, but its hard to see without a full back shot, as nicole c g asked can we see a top down dorsal shot? its not a phidippus or a habronattus from those legs.
Yes agreed, the fourth leg is elongated, implying it might be Sitticine?
 

egyptiancrow

Arachnobaron
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Apr 30, 2021
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403
Evarcha doesn’t have an elongated fourth leg, so probably something else.
its possible that the photos are a bit misleading as well, its important to be inclusive about options, bc photos are not perfect. the back of the head for example really matches evarcha but not anything in atinella or attulus :) right now i doubt a conclusive sp can be given until its older or the owner has a macro lens to get closer
 

Reluctant Widow Mother

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 24, 2021
Messages
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Wow, you guys really know your stuff. Thanks for trying with less-than-ideal photos. I ordered a macro lens that should have arrived today, so assuming I get the hang of using it, I should be able to get some better pics soon. Because the jumper is so tiny, I'm worried about his escaping. I could easily hurt him during a recapture attempt, so I'm reluctant to open his enclosure to get clearer pictures. Under the right circumstances, I could try. It's just he's so vulnerable.

I looked at Evarcha proszynskii and even though my spider is a juvenile, he shares some traits with that species, including the rust-colored head and white brow. With 300ish species to decipher, including differences between males, females and juveniles, it must be difficult. I don't even know how to tell the genera apart...or even what they are. This is the beginning of my education. Thank you for that!

Here's a link to an Evarcha proszynskii individual that shares some traits with my baby:
 

Nicole C G

Arachnoangel
Joined
Jun 23, 2021
Messages
883
its possible that the photos are a bit misleading as well, its important to be inclusive about options, bc photos are not perfect. the back of the head for example really matches evarcha but not anything in atinella or attulus :) right now i doubt a conclusive sp can be given until its older or the owner has a macro lens to get closer
I understand pictures can be misleading, but there are lots of pictures with lots of angles, and those legs look pretty long. 😅
I feel it much better matches Attinella dorsata. It doesn’t really look like Evarcha proszynskii to me. Tell me if you end up finding anything that looks closer to this! 😄
 
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