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Description
I found this girl inside on the back door today, tangled up in some Kukulcania hibernalis webbing where the screen met the frame. As she was back-lit by the bright afternoon sun outside, I could only make out her outline, and I could tell it was a Salticid(Jumping Spider) of some sort, but I couldn't see her color. I assumed that it was a Phidippus audax, the most common Jumper I find this time of year. Once I got her out of the web(yes, spiders get caught in the webs of other species, especially spiders that don't use webs to catch prey themselves, and Jumpers don't) and into the "spider cup"(clear plastic soufflé cup), I was amazed to see that I had a bright RED Jumper on my hands, obviously NOT a P. audax! I had never even seen a red Jumper before, so I had to do a quick check of Bugguide.net to find out just what sort of lady I'd rescued! Turns out she's a Phidippus whitmani. She is MUCH calmer than my female P. audax, whom I call "C.B" for "Crack Baby", and whom I cannot even photograph due to the behavior that earned her that name, lol. Here in this pic, she was grooming herself, trying to rid herself of some of the K. hibernalis webbing, and you can see one of her fangs extended, as she used it like a comb to clean her pedipalps and forelegs.

pitbulllady

Description
I found this girl inside on the back door today, tangled up in some Kukulcania hibernalis webbing where the screen met the frame. As she was back-lit by the bright afternoon sun outside, I could only make out her outline, and I could tell it was a Salticid(Jumping Spider) of some sort, but I couldn't see her color. I assumed that it was a Phidippus audax, the most common Jumper I find this time of year. Once I got her out of the web(yes, spiders get caught in the webs of other species, especially spiders that don't use webs to catch prey themselves, and Jumpers don't) and into the "spider cup"(clear plastic soufflé cup), I was amazed to see that I had a bright RED Jumper on my hands, obviously NOT a P. audax! I had never even seen a red Jumper before, so I had to do a quick check of Bugguide.net to find out just what sort of lady I'd rescued! Turns out she's a Phidippus whitmani. She is MUCH calmer than my female P. audax, whom I call "C.B" for "Crack Baby", and whom I cannot even photograph due to the behavior that earned her that name, lol. Here in this pic, she was grooming herself, trying to rid herself of some of the K. hibernalis webbing, and you can see one of her fangs extended, as she used it like a comb to clean her pedipalps and forelegs.

pitbulllady