Apart from a rare fruit fly, the barest hint of a spider web or two in a dusty corner behind the desk, and a couple of woodbugs in the garden, I have seen no bugs around home for several months. Even "Fat Momma", who stayed in her corner with the egg cases until the temperature dropped below freezing, has disappeared.
I must have my fix!
So I looked over my old photos, and discovered this tiny spider, unidentified, and never commented on. I've spent much of tonight looking through Bug Guide, trying to find one like him, with no luck.
I found him in a park across the street last May. He was tiny, but moving fast; I only got one chance before he had dropped off the edge of the fence, out of sight.
An interesting black-and-white striped pattern; I don't remember ever seeing one like this before, nor those white feet; most similar spiders seem to have striped legs to go with the pattern on the back.
Zooming in on that yellow cup lichen:
This was one of my first outings with the new digital camera. I still hadn't figured out how to zoom in without shaking, nor to adjust for the lighting. I'll be back in that park this spring, to look for this lichen again. And maybe, just maybe, I'll find another stripy spider.
Ahhh! That feels better!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later: The Bug Guide people are fast! Thanks to John Maxwell, I have an ID; the spider is Salticus scenicus, a Zebra spider, one of the jumping spiders.
"So I looked over my old photos, and discovered this tiny spider, unidentified, and never commented on. I've spent much of tonight looking through Bug Guide, trying to find one like him, with no luck."
ReplyDeleteBack during the Bioblitz, David Shorthouse proved to be a lot of help in IDing spiders; he might be able to help you out here. He has a blog, too, iSpiders.
--Bill
Thanks, Bill.
ReplyDeleteI have bookmarked both your links. I didn't need to bother David this time, since John Maxwell at BugGuide answered my query so quickly.
Salticus scenicus, a Zebra spider.
I thought it looked like a jumping spider, so I am glad it turned out to be one. What a beauty.
ReplyDeleteI'd be jumping myself it it were to jump toward me. Never have seen one like that either.
ReplyDeleteGo have a look at the Wikipedia entry for 'jumping spider' and also for 'Salticus scenicus'. The close-ups of the eyes are intriguing.
ReplyDeleteTheir behaviour does indeed appear to be one of 'curiousity'.
We have lots of them around the house, mostly outside, but not always, here on the Sunshine Coast.
A few years ago when the tent caterpillars were at their peak, I watched a jumping spider sucking away at one. The caterpillar was maybe five times its length.
The caterpillar was already doomed, and probably severely weakened by parasitic wasps. No idea if the spider doomed the wasp larvae in turn.
Hi, John!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I think you're referring to the photo at the bottom of the Wikipedia page. Zebra spider looking around
That is a great photo!