''Ballus chalybeius'' is a jumping spider. It is the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of the genus ''Ballus''.

Appearance

This flattened spider can reach a length of . The prosoma is dark brown in females, with irregular lighter markings. The lightly yellow legs have dark rings in both sexes. In males, which are generally darker, the first legs are dark and thickened. The species is similar to ''

Ballus rufipes ''Ballus'' is a spider genus of the family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Description ''Ballus'' are typically small, squat spiders. The carapace is broad oval, almost as wide as long, flat on top with the sides and back almost vertical, and a r ...

'', which is smaller and much darker.Bellmann, H. (1997). Kosmos-Atlas Spinnentiere Europas. ''Kosmos''. pX

Habits

During summer, the female builds a flat silken retreat on the underside of a leaf and guards its egg sac inside.

Habitat

It can be found mostly on the fringes of deciduous forests, on broad-leaved bushes and trees, particularly oaks, and in the grass. In

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

, they are widely distributed and in most areas quite common.

Distribution

''Ballus chalybeius'' occurs in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, North Africa to

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

.Platnick, N. I. (2006)
The world spider catalog
version 7.0. ''American Museum of Natural History''.

Name

The species name is derived from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''chalyb-'' "steel".

References

External links

Photography of ''Ballus chalybeius''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1758710 Spiders described in 1802 Salticidae Spiders of Europe Spiders of Asia