More Backyard Jumping Spiders

Here are some more fun jumpers from the backyard. The jumping spider activity has really fallen off with the cool fall weather settling in. Once the first frosts come in I’ll be out of luck until spring. Included in these shots are an immature Gray Wall Jumper, a male Zebra Jumper (distinguished from the female of the species by its enormous fangs) and a Mustached Jumper.

I never took Latin or Greek in school, but I became interested in those languages when I was in college and grad school. At that point I was exposed to tons of anatomical terms, taxonomic classification and medical nomenclature and saw just how many Latin and Greek words we use. This group of spiders have some fun scientific names. The Zebra jumper’s proper name is Salticus scenicus. Salticus is Latin for “dancing/jumping”, while scenicus shares the same Greek root as scenic, meaning “decorative” or “flashy”. I’d say that is a great description of the spider! The genus of the Moustached Jumper/Tan Jumper is Platycryptus. Platy- means “flat”, while -cryptus translates to “hidden.” Finally, the Gray Wall Jumper’s scientific name is Menemerus bivittatus. Bivittatus is a fun and descriptive species name. Bi- of course means “two”, while -vittatus is “band or “stripe.” Unfortunately you don’t see much striping in the particular poses I took of this juvenile.