''Phidippus regius'', known commonly as the regal jumper, is a species of

jumping spider Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family Salticidae. As of 2019, this family contained over 600 described genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all species. Jumping spi ...

in eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

Description

Adult males range from in body length and average . Females range from and average . Males and females are easily differentiated. The males are always black with a pattern of white spots and stripes. Females often bear similar patterns to the males, but range in color from shades of gray to a vivid orange. The three spots on the back of the spider's abdomen often resemble a smiling face, the "heart shaped "mouth" of the "face" is above the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

. Towards the end of the abdomen, there are usually two small round spots while there is a larger, triangle-shaped one closer to the cephalothorax, that looks like a mouth. The regal jumping spider belongs to the genus ''

Phidippus ''Phidippus'' is a genus in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Some of the largest jumping spiders inhabit this genus, and many species are characterized by their brilliant, iridescent green chelicerae. ''Phidippus'' is distributed almos ...

'', a group of jumping spiders easily identified both by their relatively large size and their iridescent chelicerae. Among most members of ''Phidippus'', these chelicerae are generally green, but in the case of ''P. regius'' they are often a blue-violet. ''Phidippus regius'' is not a medically significant spider and is generally considered hesitant to bite. While bites rarely occur, symptoms are mostly limited to some local swelling and pain.

Habitat

''P. regius'' is most commonly found in relatively open areas, such as fields and light woodland, with adults usually preferring trees or the walls of buildings as hunting grounds. They build silken nests at night in which to sleep, often in palm fronds or similar areas. Females of the species lay their eggs under the bark of trees, or in secluded spots in wooden structures such as barns.

Distribution

''P. regius'' occurs in the southeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

, and has been introduced to

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...

. In the United States, it occurs throughout the Southeast from South

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

through

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. It is most common on the

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

peninsula.

References

External links

Regal jumping spider
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site * {{Taxonbar, from=Q310611 Salticidae Spiders of North America Spiders described in 1846