spider in the underwear drawer
Hello Bugman,
We found this little beast peeking out of one of our dresser drawers last night. It saw us coming a mile away, so we failed to catch it. Presumably he makes his home in the dresser. It’s about 1″ across (including legs). From pictures I can find on the internet, I think it looks a little like a red jumping spider, but the body and legs are lighter in color and more variegated. What do you think? We live in Los Angeles, CA. Thanks,
Malia
Hi Malia,
We think that thanks to this Jumping Spider, your drawers are free from bugs. This is a Jumping Spider in the genus Phidippus. It may be Phidippus clarus which is highly variable, or perhaps Phidippus johnsoni, another highly variable species, or it may be another species in this highly variable genus.
¶ Posted 25 August 2008 § ‡ ° Jumping spider
One of the people that I work with here in San Pedro,Ca. brought me this weird looking beast and with the help of your website I was able to identify it as a Jumping Spider. Your website is a great resource for those of us that enjoy photographing the wonders of the insect world. I noticed that your description of these spiders says that they do not use webs. This guy had spun some webbing and was hanging out there. Do they just not use webs to trap their prey or do I have a confused psycho spider? Just curious about this behavior.
Rus
Hi Rus,
We believe your jumper is Phidippus johnsoni based on images posted to BugGuide. This species as well as other Jumping Spiders have highly variable markings. Regarding the silk production, all spiders can produce silk. While Jumping Spiders do not spin a web for catching food, they still spin silk. Jumping Spiders spin silk as a kink of lifeline. When they jump, the silk acts like a tether. Your spider is in an enclosed location, and is probably spinning silk as it wanders aimlessly trying to find a way out, hence the tangled web.
¶ Posted 08 April 2008 § ‡ ° Yellow Spider
I found this spider in Northern Utah. I have lived here for 30 years and have never seen a fuzzy, yellow-backed, yellow-fanged spider before. Nor has anyone else I have asked. I have attached some photos. The spider had many babies in another section of this plastic cover. Any information you have is appreciated. Thanks,
Jeremy Smith
Hi Jeremy,
This is a Jumping Spider, probably Phidippus apacheanus according to some images on BugGuide. This is a yellow color variation of a variable species. Jumping Spiders in the family Salticidae are active hunting spiders that do not build webs. They have excellent eyesight. They are not a threat to you.
¶ Posted 31 August 2007 § ‡ ° an amazing little spider holding on to a HUGE fly
Hi Bugman,
I am the person from Mexico who sent you pictures of a sulfur butterfly and several snout butterflies last year. This time I am simply giving these new pictures as a gift to you. I found this in my garden yesterday and thought it was rather amazing. This tiny spider managed to catch such a huge fly, all on its own! I heard a buzzing sound coming from the plants nearby, and I thought it might be a bumblebee, so I went to see; But what I found instead, was a huge fly trying to get away from this tiny little spider, who was trying very hard to hold on to a leaf as this fly tried to buzz away. Eventually it lost grip and both insects fell down, after about 30 seconds of struggle, but they fell softly on other leaves from a different plant, and from there I picked them up with my hand (by gripping one of the fly’s legs), and placed them on a surface for photographing. For a while I thought this huge fly was going to fly away even with the spider still attached! The spider was solidly attached to this fly all of the time, without letting go at any time. For the next 7 minutes or so, the fly stopped buzzing and simply stood there, still standing upright, looking in different directions occassionally, and acting in a seemingly very unconcerned way. Then it finally succumbed to the spider and stopped all major movements, and collapsed (although it still continued moving very slowly). At no moment did the spider show any fear for my presence. After the fly collapsed I took them back to the leaves, and I let the spider grip on to a leaf. But even though it was holding on with all/most of its legs, it was still very slowly being pulled down by the fly’s weight! So I gave it a hand and pushed the fly from the bottom up carefully, and this helped it place the fly in a much better place. That was quite an experience! I never thought such a tiny spider would be able to catch such a huge prey, although it definitely was having MAJOR problems doing so. Regards,
Humberto
Hi Humberto,
What a fascinating account of a Jumping Spider in the family Salticidae, capturing a fly. Jumping Spiders do not make a web. They have excellent eyesight and they leap onto their prey.
Looking for help with this one. Love the site!
I’ve tried to find a spider like this one (attached) on your site but didn’t see anything like it. Felt a tickle on my hand today while laying in my deck chair. Saw this little guy and had to take a snap shot. He moved very fast so it was hard to grab a good pic. Any ideas? Jumping Spider? These pictures were taken in Victoria British Columbia on Vancouver Island.
Best Regards,
Ryan Leinweber
Hi Ryan,
This is a Red Jumping Spider in the genus Phidippus, possibly Phidippus formusus. In Eric Eaton’s opinion: “The male jumping spider is probably a different species, probably Phidippus clarus, or P. johnsoni.”
¶ Posted 20 May 2006 § ‡ ° spider
I live in Hollywood CA. and saw this spider I think Hes a jumping spider but am unsure please tell me what he is.
Brad
Hi Brad,
This looks like a Red Jumping Spider, Phidippus formosus.
¶ Posted 04 March 2006 § ‡ ° Who is this spider?
I found at least half a dozen of these spiders tucked under the rims and between the sections of some plant 6-packs in which I’ve got seeds planted. The packs are in flats resting on the ground in the garden. This spider is about an inch long; some of the others looked smaller. The web is very white. I’m in Glendale (Los Angeles) California. From general body shape and hairiness I suspect a jumping spider, but couldn’t find any pictures of one with this lovely orange color. (Your fall 2005 web page was down when I went looking for a picture.)
Thanks.
Sallie
Hi Sallie,
This is one of the Red Jumping Spiders in the genus Phidippus, probably Phidippus formosus. These are hunting spiders who do not build webs to trap prey, but adult females, according to Hogue, “construct a funnel-like web that is usually in contact with the soil; this structure is used as a retreat for the adults and a safe repository for the eggs.”
¶ Posted 04 December 2005 § ‡ ° Hairy Black Spider With Fluorescent Green Fangs!
Hellloooooo, Bugman!
This tiny but scary looking black spider with green fangs lunged at me while I was taking it’s picture. It isn’t that big, I’d say about the size of a dime. I found it under a foam swimming pool raft that was hanging over my fence. I live in Northern NJ and I haven’t seen many spiders like this in the area. I’m guessing it’s a jumping spider based on it’s size and the fact that it JUMPED at me!!! Our first child is on his/her way; do I need to worry about this spider being poisonous?
Cool site, keep it up!
Thanks,
Pete
p.s., I have high-res (3MP) photos if you want them!
Hi Pete,
Thanks for the beautiful photos of a Jumping Spider from the family Salticidae. This is a large family. The spiders are generally small, hairy and often iridescent or brightly colored. They do not build webs, but leap at their prey. Your action photo is awesome. Perhaps your spider thought you were a fly. There are reports of bites, but they are mild. With infants, though, the bite could be more serious. Spiders are not inclined to bite though unless provoked. Thank you for the offer of higher resolution photos, but we generally post very low resolution images to keep the download time on the site more manageable. Also, thank you for the compliments.
¶ Posted 09 June 2004 § ‡ ° 
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