Do Jumping Spiders Make Webs? Uncovering the Truth

Jumping spiders are known for their incredible jumping ability and unique hunting tactics. These fascinating creatures differ from many other spiders’ species in several ways. Their most distinguishable feature is their excellent eyesight, which allows them to spot and track prey effectively even from a considerable distance UMN Extension.

While spiders are generally known for their elaborate webs, jumping spiders do not make webs to capture food. Instead, they use their exceptional eyesight and agility to stalk and pounce on their prey Wisconsin Horticulture. Their hunting style makes them beneficial as natural pest control agents as they help reduce the population of insects like flies and mosquitoes without creating bothersome cobwebs Menemerus bivittatus and Plexippus paykulli.

Jumping Spiders: An Overview

Family Salticidae

Jumping spiders belong to the family Salticidae, which is known for being the largest family of spiders, with over 6,000 species identified worldwide. These spiders are visually distinctive, exhibiting diverse colors and patterns.

• Colors: Jumping spiders can display vibrant colors such as black, orange, or white.
• Patterns: Some species have unique markings, like the Bold Jumper Spider’s irregular orange to white spots on its abdomen source.

Largest Family of Spiders

The Salticidae family dominates the spider world, comprising about 13% of all spider species. To put this into perspective:

This immense diversity enables jumping spiders to be found in various habitats, from gardens to forests.

Colorful and Active Hunters

Jumping spiders are renowned for their exceptional hunting abilities, aided by their large middle eyes, which provide them with excellent vision. These spiders are active hunters, relying on their sharp senses and movement rather than webs for capturing prey.

• No webs for capturing prey: Jumping spiders do not spin webs to catch food.
• Acute vision: Their large middle eyes enable them to see objects up to eight inches away.
• Jumping ability: As their name suggests, they have remarkable jumping skills, allowing them to quickly pounce on unsuspecting prey.

Overall, jumping spiders are fascinating creatures that exhibit diverse colors, impressive hunting skills, and form the largest family of spiders. These agile arachnids are an essential part of ecosystems and provide unique insights into the world of spiders.

Anatomy and Vision

Eight Eyes and Color Vision

Jumping spiders have unique vision thanks to their eight eyes. With large middle eyes, they can see objects up to eight inches away. Their color vision is impressive, allowing them to perceive colors like humans.

Some key features:

• Eight eyes play a crucial role in the hunting process
• Exceptional color vision enables them to detect prey and mates

Abdomen and Spinnerets

The abdomen of jumping spiders houses the spinnerets, which create silk for various purposes. Spinnerets are small, tubular structures on the spider’s abdomen, and they are crucial for spinning silk.

Characteristics of the abdomen and spinnerets:

• Abdomen is typically rounded
• Houses spinnerets
• Spinnerets produce silk

Silk Glands and Spigots

Jumping spiders have silk glands, which produce silk that is used to make safety lines, nests, and wrapping prey. Silk is released through tiny organs called spigots, located on the spinnerets. Although jumping spiders don’t build webs like other spiders, they still use silk in their day-to-day activities.

Silk glands and spigots features:

• Produce silk for safety lines, nests, and prey wrapping
• Spigots located on the spinnerets
• Silk is not typically used for web-making

Jumping Spider Webs and Silk

Silk Production

Jumping spiders, like other spiders, produce silk from specialized glands. They use their silk for various purposes, such as:

• Creating safety lines, also known as draglines
• Constructing nests for resting, molting, and egg-laying

Types of Silk

Spider silk is impressive due to its:

• Strength: It is stronger than steel of the same diameter
• Elasticity: It can stretch several times its original length

Jumping spiders produce different types of silk, which serve different purposes. Examples include:

• Dragline silk: Used for safety lines and anchor points
• Cribellate silk: Some species use this silk, which has a wool-like texture, to build sticky webs

Web Architecture

While jumping spiders can produce silk, they typically do not make webs to catch prey like other spiders do. Instead, they rely on their excellent vision and agile movements to hunt down their prey.

In summary, jumping spiders utilize various types of silk for different purposes, but they typically do not construct webs to capture their prey. Their silk is notable for its strength and elasticity, and serves functions such as providing safety lines and creating nests.

Habitat and Behavior

Diverse Habitats

Jumping spiders can be found in a wide range of environments, from vegetation and wood piles to rocky areas and even your sock drawer¹. They thrive in various habitats because they are highly adaptable and can easily adjust to different living conditions.

Predators and Prey

Jumping spiders are opportunistic predators, which means they consume a variety of prey based on availability¹. Some examples of their prey include:

• Insects
• Other spiders
• Small arthropods

In turn, jumping spiders have their own set of predators, such as birds, larger spiders, and reptiles.

Unique Hunting Techniques

Unlike many other spiders that rely on webs for capturing prey, jumping spiders utilize an active hunting approach¹. They are known for their exceptional vision, which allows them to:

• Observe potential prey
• Measure distance and plan their jump accordingly

As part of their hunting technique, jumping spiders employ silk as an anchor line during ambushes¹. However, they generally don’t spin elaborate webs as other spider species do.

Table: Comparison of Jumping Spiders and Web-spinning Spiders

Did you know? The Bagheera kiplingi is a unique species of jumping spider known for its vegetarian diet. It feeds mainly on Beltian bodies, which are nutrient-rich structures produced by certain species of Acacia trees².

Notable Jumping Spider Species

Phidippus Audax

Phidippus audax is a common and conspicuous jumping spider often referred to as the “Orchard spider.” It has distinct markings: a black body with an irregular orange to white spot on its abdomen. This spider can be found in gardens and around homes, making it a familiar sight for many people.

Hyllus Giganteus

Hyllus giganteus is another species of jumping spider, though not as well-known as Phidippus audax. These spiders are larger compared to other jumping spiders and are known for their impressive size and bulging eyes.

Peacock Spiders

Peacock spiders are a group of species belonging to the genus Maratus within the jumping spider family. They are renowned for their bright colors and elaborate courtship displays. Male peacock spiders often exhibit colorful, patterned abdomens, which they display during courtship dances to attract females.

• Some common features in jumping spiders:
  • Large, forward-facing anterior median eyes.
  • Do not build webs for prey capture.
  • Exceptional vision.
  • Quick and agile movements.

Interactions with Humans

Harmless but Fascinating

Jumping spiders are generally harmless to humans, as they rarely bite and are not considered dangerous. They are known for their excellent vision and remarkable agility, making them fascinating creatures to observe.

• Features:
  • Excellent vision
  • Agile and fast movement
  • Rarely bite humans

Preventative Measures

To prevent jumping spiders from entering your home and becoming a nuisance, you can take the following steps:

• Seal cracks and gaps around doors, windows, and other openings.
• Sweep away or relocate webs and spiders found near your home.
• Keep your living space clean and free of clutter that would provide hiding spaces for spiders.

Pros of preventative measures:

• Reduce the number of spiders in your living space.
• Minimize the risk of encountering a jumping spider while indoors.

Cons of preventative measures:

• May require time and effort to maintain a spider-free environment.
• Potentially lose out on the benefits of having spiders, such as natural pest control.

Reproduction and Spiderlings

Mating Dance

Jumping spiders, specifically Phidippus regius, exhibit a fascinating mating dance to attract their potential partners. Males use their brightly colored bodies and elaborate movements to impress females.

Offspring Development

After a successful mating ritual, female jumping spiders lay eggs in a protective silken sac. Soon, the eggs develop into tiny spiderlings that resemble miniature versions of adult spiders. Some noteworthy features of spiderlings include:

• Eight legs
• Eight eyes
• Small size
• Similar appearance to adults

Here is a brief comparison of jumping spider spiderlings and adult jumping spiders:

As spiderlings grow, they molt multiple times, eventually reaching their adult size and gaining their vibrant colors. The jumping spider’s life cycle from mating dance to spiderling development is an intriguing aspect of these visually-adept arthropods.