Southern California Salticid

[GQ.]

I found a couple fairly large jumpers this weekend. They are by far the largest I have ever found around San Diego county. This is the first time I have found this species. Any ideas on species or genus of this spider?

Frontal view

Side View

With Finger for Size Reference

On cocoon

 

[padkison]

Habronattus species?

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/spiders/Habronattus.htm

http://bugguide.net/node/view/103118/bgimage

 

[Tunedbeat]

She is too large to be a Habronattus specie.
My guess would be a Phidippus octopunctatus.

 

[padkison]

I think you're right

http://bugguide.net/node/view/34820/bgimage

 

[GQ.]

Thank you padkinson and tunedbeat. Do either of you, or anyone else out there, know of a good jumping spider reference book?

Thanks.

 

[cacoseraph]

man i love southern CA!

isn't octop' one of the largest known phidippus species?

 

[padkison]

The most definitive guide I know of is

"Revision of the Jumping Spiders of the Genus Phidippus" by GB Edwards

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

60 small color plates as well as a page on each species covering detailed range, habitat, color variations, several paragraphs of description in detail on how to ID each sex, B&W drawings of dorsal carapace body, ventral abdomen and sex organs.

For example, it tells me P. ostiosus is a forest canopy species, which explains why I've only found one, that being on my screen porch which is second story and right up against the trees and why I don't find them in the weedy and brushy fields like clarus and audux. The guide states that egg sacs are laid under loose bark, they mature in autumn and female ostiosus can overwinter. It also tells me the FL variety has more of a yellow color to it probably due to hybridization with P. regius.

I tend to use "Spiders of the Eastern United States : A Photographic Guide" by Howell & Jenkins for most spiders. This is a good field guide to the most common spiders east of the Mississippi. Course this doesn't do you much good in CA.

Thank you padkinson and tunedbeat. Do either of you, or anyone else out there, know of a good jumping spider reference book?

Thanks.

 

[GQ.]

Padkinson,

Thank you for the references. I am ordering "Revision of the Jumping Spiders of the Genus Phidippus" this week.

 

[gunslinger]

Nice photos, GQ, I especially like the first two. The resolution on the sandy pebbly earth is very nice looking.