Salticus

Salticus
Female Salticus scenicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Section: Dionycha
Superfamily: Salticoidea
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Salticinae
Genus: Salticus
Latreille, 1804
Type species
Salticus scenicus
(Clerck, 1757)
Species

see text

Diversity
48 species
Synonyms

Attus

Salticus is a spider genus of the Salticidae family (jumping spiders).

Contents

Description

Salticus species are typically marked with a black and white pattern, with some featuring transverse stripes, often gaining them the popular name "zebra spiders". Mature males have very long chelicerae on which they rest their long, thin pedipalps. Females are from 3.5 to 7 mm long, males up to 5 mm.[1]

Habits

Salticus are often found on rocks and tree trunks, where the sun can reach. S. scenicus is often seen on sunny walls.[1]

Distribution

This genus was used for a long time as a salticid dump, with many species originally described as Salticus now moved to other genera. The remaining species have mostly a palearctic distribution, with some species reaching into the Mediterranean region and South Asia. A few species are found in the New World. S. perogaster is endemic to a small island in New Guinea, S. annulatus is found in South Africa.

Salticus melanopus, the single described species from south east Asia (Thailand),[2] is a nomen dubium.[3]

Species

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Murphy & Murphy 2000: 279
  2. ^ Murphy & Murphy 2000: 270
  3. ^ Platnick 2007

References

External links