Jumping Spider (Phidippus) pg 2

Another photo taken by Galina shows the face of her specimen, and gives an excellent view of the distal segments, i.e., the tips, of the pedipalps. These are the small appendages that look like smallish legs directly in front of the face. A male would have remarkably swollen tips, but these are about the same size as the other segments, making it a female. Notice the two large eyes facing directly forward. The genus Phidippus is in the Salticidae family which, along with the Lycosidae and Thomisidae, is considered a "modern" hunting spider. For such spiders, excellent vision is crucial for capturing prey and for mating. Rainer Foelix (1996), p. 82, points this out, and adds that jumping spiders kept in the dark or under red light cannot catch prey or find a mate, and even if a fly bumps into such a spider that is deprived of visual stimuli, she will not attempt to seize it. That testifies to how critical vision is to these spiders ----FINIS---- PAGE MENU:   1  *  2  *

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