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Jumping Spiders.
Morphology. The adult spiders 2–10 mm long; of medium build, or decidedly plump-bodied; decidedly short-legged (decidedly shorter to somewhat longer than the body); with eight eyes. The eyes ostensibly in three rows of 4+2+2, the anterior row of 4 incorporating two enlarged medians, and facing forwards on the square-fronted caput like a battery of car headlamps, with the two rows behind each comprising a pair of small eyes borne dorsilaterally on the top of the caput. The palpal organs of the male of complex structure and enclosed by the specialized, hollowed tarsal segment (the cymbium). The front legs forwardly directed, short or shortish, and rather stout. Metatarsus IV of the females without a calamistrum. Tarsal claws 2. The tarsi with claw tufts. The abdomen conspicuously patterned dorsally; with a single, inconspicuous tracheal spiracle. The abdomen of the females without a cribellum. The reproductive openings of the females associated with an epigyne.
The adults not making snare-webs; actively pursuing their prey (on foliage, ground vegetation and walls, leaping onto their prey in characteristic fashion).
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 34 species in Britain; in the genera Attulus, Ballus, Bianor, Euophrys, Heliophanus, Marpissa, Myrmarachne, Neon, Pellenes, Phlegra, Pseudeuophrys, Salticus, Sitticus, and Synageles.
Comments. Compact spiders, with relatively short legs, the first pair of which are often markedly stouter than the rest.
Illustrations. • Examples from 10 genera. 24, Salticus sp. (either S. scenicus, or S. singulatus): a, male; b, female; c, outline profile of cephalo-thorax and abdomen; d, eyes; e, chelicerae, maxillae and labium of male; f, outline profile of anterior part of cephalo-thorax of male, showing the forwardly-projecting chelicerae; g, foot from below, to show the appearance of the scopula when in action; h, the same from the side; i, palpal organs, etc., of the male. 25, Sitticus pubescens (Fabr.): a, male; b, female; c, palpal organs, etc., of the male. 26, E. falcata (Clerck): a, male; b, female; c, palpal organs, etc., of the male. 27, Euophrys frontalis (Walck.): a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs, etc, of the male. 28, Ballus chalybeius (Walck.), formerly B. depressus (Walck.): a, female; b, male; c; palpal organs, etc., of the male. 29, Pseudeuophrys erratica (Walck.): a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs, etc., of the male. 30, Sitticus saltator (Simon), male: a, palpal organs, etc. 31, Heliophanus sp. (H. cupreus (Walck.)?): a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs, etc., of the male. 32, Marpissa radiata (Grube): a, female (see also 34); b, male; c, palpal organs of the male. 33, Neon reticulatus (Bl.): a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs, etc., of the male. 34, Marpissa radiata (Grube), female (see also 32). 35, Marpissa muscosa (Clerck), male: a, palpal organs, etc. (called by Blackwall Salticus tardigradus Walck.). 36, Myrmarachne formicaria (deGeer), male. From Blackwall (1861, with approximate lengths of females added.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. The spider families of Britain and Ireland. Version: 5th August 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
