Jumping spiders and UV lighting?

Spiderbakesale

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I work at a pet store so I was thinking about grabbing a UV light for my jumpers.

My reasoning is that the spiders are often seen in the sunlight, so direct sun of some sort has to have an impact on their health, right?

Has anyone else done experiments with this or has this setup now? And what is your opinion of it?
 

basin79

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It certainly can't do them any harm. But you'd need to have a mesh lid/top.
 

Python

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Short answer, it couldn't hurt. I don't know of any specific benefit that jumpers get from UV light but there might be something. I would be interested in finding out though.
 

AphonopelmaTX

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My reasoning is that the spiders are often seen in the sunlight, so direct sun of some sort has to have an impact on their health, right?
Not necessarily. You see jumpers out during the day because sight is their primary means to hunt and find suitable mates. They need the sunlight to see.
 

The Snark

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Not necessarily. You see jumpers out during the day because sight is their primary means to hunt and find suitable mates. They need the sunlight to see.
Well, some sort of light. Those photoreceptors need something. But we can also safely assume the spider doesn't use the UV spectrum.

I've observed jumpers here by the hundreds. Out on the porch roof in direct sunlight for hours. I've watched them indoors extensively as well. One spork lived on the wall of our staircase for months, never exposed to the sun. Another 7 legged trucker was out of the roof for months. The only difference was the roofer was a little speedier. I honestly don't think this is a good thing because generally speaking, heat accelerates metabolism and the faster the metabolism, the shorter the animals life span.
 

Ungoliant

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But we can also safely assume the spider doesn't use the UV spectrum.
Actually, according to The Biology of Spiders, jumpers can see both UV and polarized light. (They are less sensitive to the red end of the spectrum.)

Some wolf spiders have also been observed using the sun and the direction of polarized light to orient themselves.
 

The Snark

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Actually, according to The Biology of Spiders, jumpers can see both UV and polarized light. (They are less sensitive to the red end of the spectrum.)
Now that is very interesting. Considering the fact UV is hazardous to more sophisticated animal's eye sight, here we have a branch of animalia that is able to incorporate and utilize it. Fascinating.
It makes me wonder what evolutionary circumstances the salticid ancestry encountered.
 
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