Salticus scenicus
| Zebra spider | |
|---|---|
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| Male Salticus scenicus | |
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| Female Salticus scenicus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Genus: | Salticus |
| Species: | S. scenicus |
| Binomial name | |
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Salticus scenicus (Clerck, 1757) |
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| External identifiers for Salticus scenicus | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 1214203 |
| NCBI | 243486 |
| WoRMS | 231976 |
| Also found in: | |
The zebra back spider (Salticus scenicus) is a common jumping spider of the Northern Hemisphere. Like other jumping spiders, it does not build a web. It uses its four pairs of large eyes to locate prey and its jumping ability to pounce and capture it. Zebra spiders are often noted for their awareness of humans. Upon noticing someone observing them, they can be seen raising their head, and usually change behavior (hence the name Salticus scenicus, theatrical jumper).
Female zebra spiders are 5-9 mm long and males are 5-6 mm. The most distinctive feature of these spiders is their four very large eyes, which is typical for jumping spiders. Although they have eight eyes, the six at the front are the largest and give them excellent binocular vision. These tiny spiders are black with white hairs that form stripes.
Zebra spiders are widespread across Britain, Europe, and North America, and are found throughout the Holarctic. They often live close to or in human settlements. They can be found on walls, plants and fences on sunny days; and also indoors on window sills, often in the corner behind curtains.
Zebra spiders tend to hunt smaller spiders and similar insects. They have been observed feeding on mosquitos that are almost twice their length. They have also been observed taking on prey items up to 3 times the length of the spider, such as some of the smaller species of moth. Like other jumping spiders, these spiders use their large front eyes to locate and stalk their prey. They move slowly towards their prey until they are close enough to pounce on top of their victim, and their hunting behaviour has been described as cat-like. Using their acute eyesight, they are able to accurately judge the distances they need to jump.
They orient towards prey detected by its lateral eyes whenever the angle subtended by such prey exceeds 5.5°. The velocity of the prey is not involved in the determination of reactive distance, but only moving objects elicit orientation. The probability that orientation is followed by stalking is a function of both prey size and velocity. The zebra spider's stalk velocity declines progressively as it nears its (stationary) prey.
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Wikipedia