''Phidippus apacheanus'' is a species of
jumping spider
Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family (biology), family Salticidae. As of 2019, this family contained over 600 described genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all sp ...
in the family
Salticidae
Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family Salticidae. As of 2019, this family contained over 600 described genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all species. Jumping spi ...
. It is found in the United States, Mexico, and
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
.
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Description
It is large for a jumping spider, small males of this species measure 3.3mm and large female can measure up to 22mm. They are black with some orange, red or yellow coloration on top. The females usually have a black line on the abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...
. With the chelicarae being an iridescent green. It is thought they are mimics of the western velvet ant ''Dasymutilla flammifera
''Dasymutilla'' is a wasp genus belonging to the family Mutillidae. Their larvae are external parasites to various types of ground-nesting Hymenoptera. Members of this genus are highly variable in sting intensity, ranging from a 1 ('' D. th ...
'' or the Mutillidae
The Mutillidae are a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their dense pile of hair, which most often is bright scarlet or orange, but may also be bla ...
family as a whole'','' both mimicking their coloration and their general shape.
Courtship display
These spiders have an interesting courtship display, the males first holds his carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
high, shifting the abdomen
The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...
to one side and raising the first pair of legs. In this position he advances in a zigzag, stoping every few steps, shifting his abdomen to the opposite side after each approach. While doing this the male flicks his pedipalps
Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and ...
up and down, first holding them far apart, and slowly closing them together as he approaches the female. He then does this until the tips touch and form a circle. The female if she has accepted the male will do an acceptance dance, then the male cautiously touches the female.
Distribution
This species has been observed in the United States, Mexico and Cuba, they are found in a great variety of habitats, such as grasslands
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...
, fields and deserts
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one ...
. Usually being found between 500 to 1800 m above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
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Salticidae
Articles created by Qbugbot
Spiders described in 1929
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