neville parkMay 12, 2023

the bold jumping spider (_Phidippus audax_) i met at the beach the other day

CW: extremely cute, prepare yourself

#ArthroBeauty #DailySpiderPic #arachnids #spiders #JumpingSpiders #Salticidae

Show threadTai ViinikkaMay 12, 2023

@nev You are right, extremely cute. :) Why are the chelicerae so glowing green? They're like a comic book artist drawing something radioactive.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/121284248

Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax)

Bold Jumping Spider from Toronto, ON M4N 1W9, Canada on June 11, 2022 at 03:07 PM by Tai Viinikka. Spider, large, on the hunt. Marking on the back is heart-shaped. Bright green front feature that ...

iNaturalist
Show threadneville parkMay 12, 2023
@eastpole the iridescent fangs are common to all Phidippus spiders as far as I know! Often there are shades of blue and purple as well. Phidippus regius, found in Florida, can have striking metallic pink-purple chelicerae.
Show threadTai Viinikka
@nev That's a remarkable piece of evolution. Now I am glad my fangs don't glow iridescent blue!
May 23, 2023 at 3:14pmWeb
Show threadneville parkMay 23, 2023
@eastpole AFAIK it is structural colouration, which allows for the remarkable iridescence. The height of this in spiders is probably the rainbow-chrome of Maratus robinsoni (https://youtu.be/eGS4JdewROU) and tarantulas' dense paw pads that let them cling to surfaces (https://www.reddit.com/r/tarantulas/comments/6lq6cj/_/).
Peacock Spider 18 (Maratus robinsoni)

YouTube
Show threadTai ViinikkaJun 6, 2023
@nev I've seen the peacock tailflip behaviour before, but never seen anything like that reflective colouration. Thanks!