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red and black jumping spider
red and black jumping spider (Phidippus clarus) [male]
Photo © Hank Guarisco
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The female red and black jumping spider is yellow to brown with black and white markings. Black is present in her eye region. Her legs are ringed with bands of light and dark colors. The male is black except on the upper abdomen that has a black band, red stripes on the sides and a white band at the base. The male’s legs are dark brown with light bands. The female is about three-eighths inch long while the male is about one-fourth inch long.
BEHAVIORS
The red and black jumping spider may be found statewide in Illinois. It lives in tall grasses and shrubby vegetation. Adults are seen from early summer through the first frost. This spider builds silken retreats for molting or hibernating, but does not build webs as traps. It hunts by sight, capturing its insect prey with a sudden jump.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Salticidae
Illinois Status: common, native
