Spider identification
Location: Southern California
November 20, 2011 10:48 pm
Saw this spider by our doorbell. I live in Southern California never seen a spider like this before just really curious what kind it is? hope you can help, thank you in advance! 🙂
Signature: Audrey A
Hi Audrey,
Each time we receive a photo of this Southern California Jumping Spider, we go through the same quandary. Our favorite source for Los Angeles area identifications is Charles Hogue’s Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, and this species is called a Red Jumping Spider, Phidippus formosus. Our favorite internet site for identifications, BugGuide, does not recognize that as a species or it is underrepresented. BugGuide identifies a very similar looking species as Phidippus adumbratus. At any rate, this is a Jumping Spider, and they are harmless. Jumping Spiders have excellent eyesight.