| |
Male
Female |
The
front legs of the male bears thick brushes of hairs on the metatarsi
and white hairs on some other segments. The cephalothorax is brightly
coloured and is ornamented with a crest of hair.
Jumping Spiders display an unusual prowess in springing on their prey
and leaping away from danger. Most do not spin webs. |
Classification:
Family Salticidae, Jumping Spiders
Habitat: Heavily wooded gardens,
mangrove swamps.
Female: 7-8.5 mm.
Male: 7-9 mm.
Distribution: Singapore (new record),
Indonesia.
|
Face
of a Jumping Spider
(Epeus flavobilineatus: a male) |
They can be easily recognised
by their unique eye arrangement. Viewed from above, the eyes are arrranged
in three rows: two pairs in front, a pair of usually tiny ones in the middle,
and another pair further back: an arrangement which allows them to enjoy
an almost 360 degree field of vision. Two of the four eyes in the front
row (the anterior median eyes) are typically enlarged and have certain anatomical
features which give the spiders a telephoto system. The lateral eyes, on
the other hand, function as stereoscopic wide-angle lenses. Together, the
eyes allow the spider to detect movement, recognise their prey, and judge
distance accurately before they pounce for the kill. |
