Arachnid · GBIF taxon 5173135
Brilliant Jumping Spider
Phidippus clarusBrilliant jumping spiders perch upside down at the tips of tall meadow stalks, scanning the foliage below with acute, high-resolution principal eyes. Courting males perform energetic visual and seismic displays, waving banded front legs and vibrating the substrate to woo watchful females. Mated females construct dense tubular silk retreats within rolled leaves or seed heads, vigilantly guarding their single egg sac until autumn.
DiurnalAgile HunterOld Fields
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Plant bugs
- Flies
- Small caterpillars
Predators
- Songbirds
- Mud dauber wasps
- Larger spiders
ThreatsPesticide application, habitat destruction, and frequent mechanical mowing
HabitatsOld fields, pastures, meadows, and open herbaceous borders
Life spanAbout 1 year
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAraneae
- FamilySalticidae
- GenusPhidippus
- SpeciesPhidippus clarus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskVery high
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is very high
- Harmless to humans and safe to observe closely; defensive bites are exceedingly rare.
Responsible observation
- Approach Slowly: Move a camera lens gradually, as rapid movement triggers evasive leaps.
- Look Up: Inspect the highest leaves of goldenrod and tall grasses where individuals perch in the sun.
- Observe Vision: Watch the cephalothorax swivel as the spider tracks motion with its large central eyes.
Predator (c) dhasdf, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Prey (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Katja Schulz · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Katja Schulz · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by Zygy · cc0
Help improve the field guideSomething wrong?
Checking your Fauna account…Report a name, category, or profile issue for review.