tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33161330302811487212024-03-13T14:13:12.053-07:00Yours For 8 EyesA Blog about jumping spiders for all those who are curious, afraid or just plain interested in these fascinating little predators.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-8527100022297107272014-07-07T14:47:00.001-07:002014-07-07T14:47:55.829-07:00How to catch a Jumping spider!Greetings fellow spider enthusiasts! Just a quick post for you today as I happened to stumble across a video that was entirely too good not to share. The video below is a primer on how to catch salticids in the wild. The video features Dr. Wayne Maddison, one of the world's foremost experts on salticids. Please take a few minutes and watch this highly informative video, as I can virtually guarantee that you will learn something new, I know I did! Also, if you'd prefer to watch it in a new window, just click the link below the video.<div>
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Happy spider collecting!</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ1P_3fHtPk" target="_blank">How to collect Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-26436738704851051712014-07-03T14:40:00.000-07:002014-07-03T14:40:45.633-07:00Visiting blog postHi guys,<br />
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I know I've been super quite of late, and I apologize for that. However, I do have a guest blog posting over at <a href="http://www.wildlensinc.org/blog">http://www.wildlensinc.org/blog</a>/ that you should all totally check out! The blog is run by a good group of conservationists and I'm sure they would appreciate your taking the time to peruse their work.<br />
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Also just FYI, this blog will be quite for a little longer yet as I am finishing up my dissertation and it is eating <i>all </i>of my time currently. Expect a new post around the last week in August (my turn in date), if not sooner!<br />
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Happy spidering!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-20827070970427946032014-02-07T11:07:00.000-08:002014-02-07T11:07:17.934-08:00Is that a spider-ant or an ant-spider?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Have you ever seen one thing and thought that it looked remarkably like something else, only to realize that it was in fact entirely different from what you thought it was in the first place? Yeah, me too, and usually its because the "something else" was a mimic of the object you initially thought you were looking at the first time. Confused yet? Good!... Wait, no, bad. Here, let me try again with some pictures and a quiz! Don't worry, its a simple one. All you have do to is decide whether each image is an ant or not.<br />
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Ready?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">GO!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ac/98/4b/ac984b53d51798c07a512da5be70a7e1.jpg">Ant or Not?</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Great! How did you fair? If you said that they were all NOT ants... you were correct! That's right, those remarkably ant-like creatures are impostors, and in fact all of them are actually salticids! Scientists refer to ant-mimicking creatures as Myrmecomorphs (Myrmeco- meaning ant, and -morph meaning appearance). Myrmecomorphs are found in several different spider families as well as in several other arthropod groups like beetles, flies and assassin bugs. The real question though, is why would you want to look like an ant? The answer might surprise you...<br />
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Ants are ubiquitous (everywhere) and as such, they tend to play a disproportionately large role in the environment around them. Many creatures have specialized to feed on ants, but even more have evolved ways of avoiding ants. Why would they bother avoiding such a small and seemingly insignificant creature? For starters, ants can live in very large (>1,000,000 members) colonies that function as a single unit. This is very evident when they are out foraging (looking for food) in large numbers. Ants have evolved to swarm and overcome larger objects through sheer numbers. Most ants have also evolved the ability to defend themselves, usually through biting and/or stinging. Now apply that defensive capability to an entire group of parading ants...<br />
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This idea of being swarmed applies to most creatures if they are caught off guard, and therefore they avoid the ants. Think of it this way, one ant at your picnic seems unimportant, while a column of aggressive, hungry ants is a definite problem. But what if you could take advantage of this quasi-universal avoidance of ants that many creatures possess? This is exactly the idea behind myrmecomorphy.<br />
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Myrmecomorphs are a special type of mimic known as a Batesian mimic. Batesian mimics are creatures who look like dangerous or harmful creatures without actually being dangerous themselves. While some of you may not agree that salticids (or spiders in general) are harmless, compared to the power of an ant colony they quite safe, and to my knowledge, there are no medically significant myrmecomorphic spiders. But I digress...<br />
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By living under the guise of an ant, myrmecomorphic spiders are able to go places disguised as ants without worrying about predators recognizing them as salticids. Indeed, a few different studies have shown that predators do not recognize myrmecomorphs are spiders, but rather treat them as they do ants. However, this also means that predators who specialize on ants are more likely to eat a myrmecomorph than they would be if they didn't look like an ant. Like so many adaptations, myrmecomorphy is a double-edged sword.<br />
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Myrmecomorphs are fascinating little creatures, especially those in family salticidae. A lot of research has been conducted on these morphological marvels encompassing things like myrmecophily (living with ants), myrmecophagy (feeding on ants) and mate recognition/distinction as a myrmecomorph. <a href="http://www.dmns.org/science/museum-scientists/paula-cushing">Dr. Paula Cushing</a> has conducted some fascintating studies on this topic. If you're as fascinated by these tiny "costumed" spiders as I am, you can<a href="http://www.dmnh.org/media/12707/Spider-Ant_review_Psyche.pdf"> read her review article here</a>. It covers a lot of the basics and is a great starting point for future reading.<br />
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Happy Spidering!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-2015274074200676742013-12-18T13:11:00.000-08:002013-12-18T13:11:34.303-08:00Robotic Salticids are taking over the world!Well, ok maybe not so much... yet. However, the ground work has been laid! This stunning little piece of technology has me completely flabbergasted
with its realistic motion and definitely wishing I had a LOT more
disposable income. Take a look at the video below for a really nice demonstration by MythBuster's Adam Savage. If you'd rather skip most of the technical talk, jump to ~6:00 into the movie, though the whole thing is definitely worth watching.<br />
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Fine, fine, ok you win. The take over, if it ever happens is still a long way off. However, what this little invention does represent is the best robotic model of a spider's movement I've seen to date. Not only does the robot move with the appropriate leg pattern, but it even tilts and rotates properly. While it is very fragile still, the potential applications for this device are pretty astounding, especially for out reach purposes. A bit of paint, some plastic eyes to cover the admittedly cool monocular "eye," and you'd have quite the handy tool for teaching. I wonder if we could get some gecko tape for the feet... hmmm...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-70201631301924249452013-10-24T12:19:00.000-07:002013-10-24T12:19:33.551-07:00Just how big is salticid?The question du Jour is "Just how big is a salticid?" and to answer that we will require some background info first. Salticids come in a wide variety of sizes, however, modern salticids are very small compared to many other spiders. Why these size constraints exist has never been examined to the best of my knowledge, though I would suspect it's due to a combination of phylogenetic inertia (i.e. they've always been small) and the fact that most of them feed on very small prey items, making a larger size impractical from a foraging perspective. Just think, if salticids were the size of small dogs like dachshunds, who would be on the menu then...<br />
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In reality, most adult salticids fall between 1mm and 22mm in length, with most being less than 10mm in my experience. However, as you can see below, juveniles can be <i>significantly</i> smaller.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4129/4832336135_2d652256a5_z.jpg" class="decoded" height="266" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4129/4832336135_2d652256a5_z.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1946950655"></span><a href="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4129/4832336135_2d652256a5_z.jpg"><span id="goog_1946950672"></span>A juvenile salticid sitting on the head of an Am<span id="goog_1946950661"></span><span id="goog_1946950662"></span>erican<span id="goog_1946950679"></span><span id="goog_1946950680"></span> penny.<span id="goog_1946950673"></span></a><span id="goog_1946950656"></span></td></tr>
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On the other end of the scale is this giant male, who is identified by the videographer as <i>Hyllus diardi</i>, though I cannot confirm this. The bad news is that he is a living nightmare for those of you who are even slightly arachnophobic. The good news? He seems very friendly! If you'd like to see the original video, it and a few others can be found on <a href="http://youtu.be/1oRRBPdM6Wc">youtube here</a>.<br />
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Having now seen the full breadth of salticid size, I will leave you with these two beautiful photos of some lovely little spiders. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the smallest, but by no means a giant either. And yes, those are pollen grains you're seeing next to it. Also, my apologies to the original photographer, but I seemed to have lost the attribution information...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgur.com/a/xkloI">Its so TEENY!</a></td></tr>
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<br />Happy Spidering!<br />
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<span id="goog_1946950674"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1946950675"><span id="goog_1946950676"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1946950677"></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-17671827470144471972013-09-13T11:11:00.001-07:002013-09-13T11:11:47.292-07:00Macro-tacular Salticids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today's long-delayed post is nothing short of a shameless excuse to peruse some of the best Macro-photography on Salticids present on the web. I will take you on a guided tour of some of the best shots I know of and hopefully even help identify some of what your looking at in the photos. After all, knowledge only makes things more appealing and interesting! Just by way of disclaimer, none of the following images are mine, and the species labels, while educated guesses, should not be treated a positive identifications as the specimen was not available for me to key out properly.<br />
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Our first photo is a lovely close up of a <i>Phidippus</i> species. This specimen is likely from the species<i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phidippus_mystaceus">P. mystaceus</a></i>, given the extremely large black tufts around the eyes and the bright yellow legs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvys4wWKLO1r3p20do1_500.jpg" class="decoded" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvys4wWKLO1r3p20do1_500.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borrowed from <a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvys4wWKLO1r3p20do1_500.jpg">http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvys4wWKLO1r3p20do1_500.jpg</a></td></tr>
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Our next lovely model is almost certainly from the genus <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyssomanes"><i>Lysomannes</i></a> as there are very few other salticids with such a bright green complexion.These tiny salticids are known for their ability to jump very well (even for a salticid) and frequently catch flying prey by pouncing on it mid-air as it flies by!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc8xsb5Oo51rob773o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc8xsb5Oo51rob773o1_500.jpg" border="0" class="decoded" src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc8xsb5Oo51rob773o1_500.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borrowed from<a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc8xsb5Oo51rob773o1_500.jpg"> http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mc8xsb5Oo51rob773o1_500.jpg</a></td></tr>
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This lovely ant is... wait a minute, that's no ant, its a salticid in disguise! If you take a very close look, you can see the telltale signs that we have a myrmecomorph (ant-mimicking spider) on our hands! While I am unsure as to the species, or even the Genus of the animal, I think we can all agree that it does a remarkable job of looking like its intended victims. Many species that adopt this form of mimicry feed on ants and even live in the nests of those they hunt. However, there are also mimics that only use the ants for protection and either steal food from them or else specialize in foraging near ant lines and colonies. A fascinating way to outsmart one of the salticids most dangerous enemies!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4149/5050635255_aa3abe82a8_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4149/5050635255_aa3abe82a8_z.jpg" border="0" class="decoded" height="249" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4149/5050635255_aa3abe82a8_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borrowed from <a href="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4149/5050635255_aa3abe82a8_z.jpg">http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4149/5050635255_aa3abe82a8_z.jpg</a></td></tr>
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Our final red-faced friend is from the Genus <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habronattus"><i>Habronattus</i></a>. The photographer has identified the animal as <i>H. americanus. Habronattus </i>are generally tiny animals and are frequently no more than a few millimeters in length. They are also quite adept at jumping, much more so than this counterparts in the genus <i>Phidippus</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="http://bugs.adrianthysse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Habronattus-americanus-21-04-2013-5-31-36-PM.jpg" class="decoded" height="265" src="http://bugs.adrianthysse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Habronattus-americanus-21-04-2013-5-31-36-PM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Borrowed from <a href="http://bugs.adrianthysse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Habronattus-americanus-21-04-2013-5-31-36-PM.jpg">http://bugs.adrianthysse.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Habronattus-americanus-21-04-2013-5-31-36-PM.jpg</a></td></tr>
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I hope you've enjoyed this brief macro tour of salticids. For the next post, I'm planning something a bit more meaty in terms of content, but every so often its nice to have fun with these beautiful animals. As the Summer draws to a close, I encourage you to go out and enjoy these amazing little animals one last time before winter sends them scurrying for a long, and undoubtedly well deserved, nap.Happy watching!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-68555163379105907752013-07-30T08:28:00.001-07:002013-07-30T08:28:58.225-07:00Spider DocumentaryGreetings Dear Reader!<br />
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Today's post will be a brief one, and possibly slightly off topic as well. I just found out about a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GL09bXxbi4">National Geographic documentary on spiders</a>. Having watched it in its entirety last night, I can say that it is well worth watching, especially if you can ignore the overly dramatic music. Unfortunately, it does not focus exclusively on jumping spiders. However, it does have a nice segment on salticids and even features a few well respected researchers, such a <a href="http://ejakob.popslice.com/">Beth <span id="goog_2058419566"></span>Jakobs<span id="goog_2058419567"></span></a>, whose publications are well worth your time. Happy watching!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-80520401752652347302013-07-11T16:05:00.000-07:002013-07-11T16:05:19.687-07:00Spotlight on the species Salticus scenicusHello dear reader and welcome to another Spotlight post! This time we place our spotlight squarely on the "Zebra Jumping Spider," <i>Salticus scenicus.</i><br />
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This tiny jumping spider is only 5-7mm long and commonly found across in North America and parts of Europe. Characterized by its bold black and white stripped abdomen, this tiny spider portrays a comic personality to many observers thanks to its curiosity and tendency to look up at its viewers.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MXWWIy7UEwI/Ud8vLdM49sI/AAAAAAAAAWY/kxAjTrWfA6M/s1600/Kaldari_Salticus_scenicus_female.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MXWWIy7UEwI/Ud8vLdM49sI/AAAAAAAAAWY/kxAjTrWfA6M/s400/Kaldari_Salticus_scenicus_female.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kaldari_Salticus_scenicus_female_01.jpg">A female <i>Salticus scenicus</i> intently focused on a nearby object.</a></td></tr>
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Unlike many salticids, this species is very commonly found in urban areas, especially on the sides of buildings and window screens. They are also unusually tolerant of other salticids. Most salticids stay as far away from each other as possible unless they are looking for mates. <i>S. scenicus</i>, however, seems to thrive in very dense populations and can often be found within only a few centimeters of each other. Out here in the Midwestern USA, I frequently find this species in groups of 4 or more within only 2-3 square meters. While this may not seem that impressive, members of the genus <i>Phidippus </i>(our previous spotlight animals) are<i> </i>rarely found in densities greater than one or two per building face, much less several on the same side of the building. </div>
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Another interesting aspect to this species is the cheliceral sexual dimorphism. Whoa, ok wait, lets back that up. For our newer readers, chelicerae are the spider's mouth parts that most people incorrectly call the fangs. I say incorrectly because on most spiders, the fangs are tiny and tucked <i>into</i> the chelicerae. I've added a grey arrow to the picture below to indicate the chelicerae, and a green arrow in the following photo to indicate the fangs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6zRSVIPfqKY/Ud8zR3GztxI/AAAAAAAAAWo/fFoyvwbURzI/s1600/salticus+top+down+++arrow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6zRSVIPfqKY/Ud8zR3GztxI/AAAAAAAAAWo/fFoyvwbURzI/s400/salticus+top+down+++arrow.png" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Male <i>Salticus scenicus</i> showing off his extra large chelicerae, indicated by the grey arrow.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j1lCLRldeKo/Ud8uy492xBI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/5bfmjWnW004/s1600/salticus+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PY_n35-nuZU/Ud812YzlUHI/AAAAAAAAAXA/NJff00_dTOo/s1600/salticus+fangs+new+arrow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PY_n35-nuZU/Ud812YzlUHI/AAAAAAAAAXA/NJff00_dTOo/s400/salticus+fangs+new+arrow.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same male <i>S. scenicus</i> with his fangs (green arrow) unfolded from his chelicera.</td></tr>
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The second thing I should explain is sexual dimorphism. All that fancy
term means is that the males and females of a species look different
from each other. Sometimes this difference is very drastic, as is the
case in many birds. Other times, the difference is much more subtle,
like in <i>S. scenicus. </i>The most obvious difference between the
males and females of this species are the greatly enlarged chelicerae and fangs of
the males, as is shown above. Obviously, <i>S. scenicus</i> is the exception to the rule of tiny fangs, but for a good reason! The males of this species use their enlarged mouthparts in male-male combat when they are sparring over access to females during the breeding season. In spite of these over-sized fangs and chelicerae, the species as a whole is quite timid and will usually run and hid if you attempt to do anything other than look at them.</div>
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There is a lot we can learn from this tiny species, especially given how readily they've adapted to cohabitation with people. The next time you're outside and its a nice warm day, take a look around and maybe you'll be graced by the presence of one of these tiny little hunters. Who knows, it may even be clearing out your local mosquito population for you too!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-15525723463411131442013-04-12T10:26:00.000-07:002013-04-12T10:26:50.794-07:00Science Summarized! Are 2 heads are better than one for prey trying to escape salticids? (Sourakov 2013)This first post of our new Science Summarized feature will be a bit unique from our future posts in the series. While it is about salticids, they are not the main focus, but rather convenient predators used in this paper. <br />
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"Two heads are better than one: false head allows <i>Calycopis cecrops</i> (Lycaenidae) to escape predation by a Jumping spider, <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus</i> (Salticidae) is a recent paper by Andrei Sourakov (2013). Published in the Journal of Natural History, this paper focuses on the butterfly subfamily Theclinae, which are commonly known as the "Hairstreak" butterflies. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/BQRSWQLS8QOKHKUKRKBK4KAK7KTKXKLSEQD00KNKZK6KSK6K5QA00KUKKKOKAQOK5KRS6Q2KRKA0EQLSVQ304QUKRK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/BQRSWQLS8QOKHKUKRKBK4KAK7KTKXKLSEQD00KNKZK6KSK6K5QA00KUKKKOKAQOK5KRS6Q2KRKA0EQLSVQ304QUKRK.jpg" border="0" class="decoded" height="334" src="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/BQRSWQLS8QOKHKUKRKBK4KAK7KTKXKLSEQD00KNKZK6KSK6K5QA00KUKKKOKAQOK5KRS6Q2KRKA0EQLSVQ304QUKRK.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The prey, <i>Calycopis cecrops</i>. Borrowed from <a href="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/BQRSWQLS8QOKHKUKRKBK4KAK7KTKXKLSEQD00KNKZK6KSK6K5QA00KUKKKOKAQOK5KRS6Q2KRKA0EQLSVQ304QUKRK.jpg">Bugguide.net</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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These butterflies are known for both the thin white stripes on the underside of the abdomen that give them their common name, and the "false heads" on the abdomen. Unlike many lepidopterans (moths and butterflies) which freeze when approached by a predator, hairstreaks display an interesting vertical motion ("bouncing up and down") of the hind-wings when approached by a predator. Sourakov hypothesizes that this behavior, and the coloration of the abdomen, combine to provide an effective anti-predator deterrent. To test this hypothesis, Sourakov collected a local predator, <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus</i>, and presented it with a variety of lepidopteran prey items.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/0QCRIQORLQL04000U0H060H0U0Q090DRIQOR7QCRSQFRSQ00SQS0XQORIQDRU0Z0M0Z0KQCR20CR3KDQHQDQ703QYK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/0QCRIQORLQL04000U0H060H0U0Q090DRIQOR7QCRSQFRSQ00SQS0XQORIQDRU0Z0M0Z0KQCR20CR3KDQHQDQ703QYK.jpg" border="0" class="decoded" height="301" src="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/0QCRIQORLQL04000U0H060H0U0Q090DRIQOR7QCRSQFRSQ00SQS0XQORIQDRU0Z0M0Z0KQCR20CR3KDQHQDQ703QYK.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The predator, <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus. </i>Borrowed from <a href="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/0QCRIQORLQL04000U0H060H0U0Q090DRIQOR7QCRSQFRSQ00SQS0XQORIQDRU0Z0M0Z0KQCR20CR3KDQHQDQ703QYK.jpg">bugguide.net</a></td></tr>
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Of the 12 species tested, only<i> Calycopis cecrops </i>successfully evaded capture every time. Sourakov ascribes this successful evasion of spidery death to the unique behavior of <i>C. cecrops </i>described earlier. Sourakov also suggests that had the spider managed to successfully attack and latch onto <i>C. cecrops</i>, the butterfly still would have been likely to escape. According to Sourakov, the escape would be facilitated by a thinning of the hind-wings near the false head region that would have allowed the section to break off of the butterfly and leave the spider with a mouthful of wing parts.<br />
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While the conclusions drawn from this study are both interesting and plausible, there are two <i>major</i> flaws with the work that cannot be overlooked. First and foremost, the author only tested 15 butterflies total (one of each species with three exceptions that had two animals tested). In other words, the escapes by <i>C. </i><i>cecrops </i>individuals tested could easily have been either flukes or traits unique to those individuals. To be convincing, I would have much preferred to see <i>at least</i> 30-40 individuals tested <i>per species</i>, and ideally many more than that given the abundance of these animals.<br />
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The second, and equally egregious, flaw was that only a single specimen of <i>Phidippus pulcherrimus </i>was used to test all of the butterflies.<i> </i>Given my own research experience with animals of this genus (<i>Phidippus</i>), as well as the work produced by other salticid researchers, I can say with absolute certainty that this animal is not representative of its species, let alone its genus or family. Why? Let's put it this way, in my own experiments I have found salticids to be as behaviorally variable as humans. In other words, if allowed to attack a prey item, some animals will fail over and over and over again, while other will succeed first time, every time. To imply that there is no behavioral variation in these animals, which is what Sourakv has done, is roughly equivalent to saying that North Americans all have the same political views because we are all Americans.<br />
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<br />While I had high hopes for this paper, I am saddened to say that the study, as published, was quite a let down. The hypothesis Sourakov proposes has strong merit, and in spite of the lack of evidence presented, I for one believe it could be successfully demonstrated with some more effort. I fervently hope that future work in this area will be more scientifically rigorous.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-51701360861049561012013-04-02T11:55:00.000-07:002013-04-02T11:55:37.026-07:00New news and old newsAs you may have noticed dear reader, we are atrocious at keeping up with this whole "weekly" updating thing. That is not to say that we aren't trying, and we definitely do care about creating new content for your enjoyment... but boy life is busy! To that end, we will be officially sticking to the weekly schedule, but in reality will probably only post every other week or so. Now, on to the news!<br />
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First, the new news. Starting this week (the next post most likely) we will begin a new type of posting. These new posts, which I will hereafter refer to as summation posts, will be reviews and breakdowns of some current papers on jumping spiders and their fascinating ways. Initially, we will try and focus on the most current findings, but don't be surprised if we review a classic paper every now and then as well. Also, if there is a particular paper or topic you'd like explored during one or more of these posts, please contact us and let us know!<br />
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Now, the old news. The Salticids of Nebraska book that has been mentioned on this blog before is still a work in progress. I am sad to say that I do not have anything new to share with you today, but there should be some new photos and possibly other content posted soon! Keep your eyes, however many that may be, open, I promise it will be worth the wait!<br />
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Until next time dear reader, keep on spidering!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-88995355987576037022013-03-19T10:19:00.002-07:002013-03-19T10:30:14.526-07:00Need your daughter protected? Why not spider?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unlike most humans, spiders usually show little to no parental care. About the only time you can ever see a spider taking care of their offspring is when a female will guard/egg sace a nest or carry the babies on her back like some wolf spiders. Salticids are no exception to the rule of parental care. However, when it comes to guarding a mate, there are few creatures more diligent in the invertebrate world than a male salticid.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isledegrande.com/giimages9/spiderwitheggcases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://www.isledegrande.com/giimages9/spiderwitheggcases.jpg" border="0" class="decoded" height="300" src="http://www.isledegrande.com/giimages9/spiderwitheggcases.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.isledegrande.com/giimages9/spiderwitheggcases.jpg">Spider guarding her eggs sacs.</a></td></tr>
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Mate guarding is not uncommon in the world of spiders, though it is most prevalent in web spinning spiders. Amongst the cursorial (wandering) spiders, the usual method of mating is to find a mate, inspect them for suitability through the ritualized mating displays, and then mate if they were found suitable. This whole process can be as quick as a few minutes or as long as several hours. What makes jumping spiders unusual is that while the males go looking for females, they are often seen hanging around immature females who are physically incapable of mating!<br />
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Ok, so a bit creepy from the human perspective, but to scientists this makes perfect sense. Why? Well, in many species spider, females will only mate once in their lifetime. If a male can find a female while she is still a juvenile (and therefore incapable of mating) he can be sure he will be the first to court the female and (ideally) mate with her.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/6249135196_cf627db137_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="mainImage" height="233" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/6249135196_cf627db137_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6095/6249135196_cf627db137_z.jpg">Peacock spiders (<i>Maratus sp.</i>) courting. The male is the colorful one on the right.</a></td></tr>
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We all know how important it is to find a good mate, but spiders seem to take this to extremes. Some males, upon finding a female, will build a nest (bivouac) by attaching lines of silk to the female's retreat. He will then proceed to follow her and "guard" her from other males until she molts to maturity, sometimes many days later. Once she has fully matured, he will begin the courting process...<br />
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Another interesting strategy some males use is to find a female's nest and court her by tapping out a species specific pattern on the walls of her nest. If she is interested, she will either wait for the male to continue and slowly proceed into the nest, or else she will come out and evaluate the male more thoroughly. If she is uninterested, the female will often run out of the nest and chase the male away.<br />
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Ok, so the male doesn't really show up with tiny bongos, but it does paint a pretty good mental image doesn't it? As with all of our posts, if you would like more info on today's topic, we would strongly encourage you to dive into the primary literature. The early work of <a href="http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/spark/Researcher.aspx?researcherid=85254">Robert Jackson</a> and <a href="http://nature.berkeley.edu/eliaslab/index.html">Damian Elias</a> are both excellent starting places for this area of research. Finally, we love hearing from our readers and encourage you to post your questions (and comments) in the comment area below. We will answer as soon as we can! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-46828060925899577522013-02-05T12:26:00.000-08:002013-03-19T10:29:55.177-07:00Secretly Strange Salticids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many people are aware that spiders, like virtually all invertebrates, are ectothermic (cold blooded in the vernacular) and prefer warm weather, humid environments and places with lots of readily available food. What many people are not aware of however, are the strange exceptions to each of those "rules." In this post, we will discuss a few of the weird and wonderful exceptions to the normal spidery rules that some salticids have learned to flaunt. <br />
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<b>So cold.</b><br />
Up first is the cold-defying Himalayan salticid (<i>Euophrys omnisuperstes</i>). While very little is known about this species, it is thought to be one of the highest known permanent residents on Earth. Living at an astonishing 6700m up, this spider can be found on the sides of Mount Everest. Never a warm place, this spider has somehow adapted to living in the extreme cold of high altitude. Whats even more amazing is that most of its food seems to be transient insects that are brought to the mountain side by the wind. For a few very nice pictures and some neat footage of <i>E. omnisuperstes</i>, <a href="http://www.arkive.org/himalayan-jumping-spider/euophrys-omnisuperstes/image-G74072.html#src=portletV3web">please visit the Arkive website.</a><br />
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<b>I need a drink!</b><br />
Something that took me a while to really process is that not all deserts are warm. In fact, some of the driest places on Earth are very cold. Thus, this next group of spiders, those who live in very dry (arid) environments can be found in scorchingly hot places like the Arizona desert, to the arid beaches of Sweden. There are many species of salticid that have adapted to these climates, but they all have one thing in common: they have evolved a mechanism (or mehcanisms) for surviving in very harsh, dry environments. In other words, just because the popular perception of spiders decrees that spiders are mainly found in tropical and/or humid areas does not mean that they are absent from more arid regions of the world. <i>Habronattus </i>and <i>Phidippus</i> are both good genera to start researching if you would like more information on these dry climate predators.<br />
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<b>I'm 700... </b><br />
days old. Ok so its not exactly Yoda (900 years old at death), but for a salticid 700 days is practically forever. Most salticids are thought to live for one breeding season and then die (< 365 days total). However, members of the species <i>Yllenus arenarius</i> can 720 days for males and 750 days for females, putting the well above the average life span for a salticid.<br />
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This species also violates another rule... individuals reproduce their second season, instead of during the first mating season. This phenomenon actually leads to two different populations living together and reproducing on alternating years! For more information on these cool little spiders, go check out the work done by <a href="http://maciejbartos.pl/eng/">Dr. Maciej Bartos.</a><br />
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<b>Silk free!</b><br />
One common misconception about spiders, is that all of them build webs. Ironically, I have run into people who know that salticids do not make webs who then reached the erroneous conclusion that they do not produce silk. This is entirely untrue! Salticids make silk, like any other spider. A few even, make webs though this is very rare for the family. So if they don't make webs, but do make silk, what is it used for? Easy, bungie cords!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png/220px-Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png/220px-Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png" border="0" class="decoded" height="177" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png/220px-Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png/220px-Salticid_jumping_takeoff_n2.png">An artists rendering of a salticid in mid-jump. Notice the drag line laid behind the spider for safety!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ok, if you want to be technical about it, they are called draglines. In practice, they function like a safety cord and salticids will place them when walking, preparing to jump, and for a few other uses such as ballooning.<br />
<br />
<br />
Salticids are an amazing, diverse, and above all unique group of spiders. It is no surprise that they have developed the aforementioned, and other, exceptions to the usual rules of spider behavior and adaptation. So, the next time you're out spidering, keep an eye out for salticids in unusual places. You might even find something new and unexpected!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-84334850237429052712013-01-15T11:51:00.000-08:002013-01-15T11:51:00.030-08:00How to ID a jumping spider<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
While the topic has been talked about obliquely, it seems time we came out and said it directly. How, exactly, do you know if you have found a jumping spider or not? The easiest way it to simply look at its eye arrangement. If it is a jumping spider, it will have two very large eyes in the center of its face, flanked by another slightly small pair. The picture below is an excellent example of a male <i>Phidippus audax</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Phidippus audax male.jpg" border="0" height="304" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Phidippus_audax_male.jpg/786px-Phidippus_audax_male.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phidippus_audax_male.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
However, if you prefer not to get quite that close or lack a hand lens to help you see the eyes, we have hammered out a few <i>rough</i> rules below that should allow you to ID them anyways. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>DISCLAIMER</b>: These rules are guidelines only! Like much of science, there will be exceptions to rules such as these, no matter how carefully crafted. Please also keep in mind that these rules, while very general, are also focused mainly on the salticids of North America. The tropics will have exceptions to most, if not all, of these rules.<br />
<br />
<br />
Rule 1: Where was the spider found? <br />
a) On the ground - Maybe a salticid, see rule 2<br />
b) On a vertical surface like a wall - Maybe a salticid, see rule 3<br />
c) In a web - probably not a salticid, but see rule 4<br />
<br />
Rule 2: When you walk up to it, how does it move?<br />
a) Jumps! - probably a salticid<br />
b) Runs away very fast - most likely not a salticid<br />
<br />
Rule 3: If you wave your hand near/over it, what does it do?<br />
a) Turns to face your hand, or where your hand came from - Salticid!<br />
b) Runs like heck! - probably not a salticid<br />
<br />
Rule 4: What is the spider doing in the web?<br />
a) Building the web - NOT a salticid<br />
b) Feeding on another spider - Maybe a salticid, see rule 5.<br />
<br />
Rule 5: What do the legs look like?<br />
a) Very long and spindly - Not a jumper<br />
b) Proportional to the body size - probably a salticid<br />
<br />
Rule 6: If capture and put in a container (NOT airtight!) for a day or two, what does it do?<br />
a) <a href="http://www.oocities.org/brisbane_spiders/images/wpeA3.jpg" target="_blank">Builds a tiny silken sleeping bag - Salticid!</a><br />
b) <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=spider+web&FORM=HDRSC2" target="_blank">Builds a traditional web - not a salticid</a><br />
c) Stays on the bottom of the container and cannot seem to climb the walls - not a salticid<br />
<br />
<br />
If you think you have found a jumping spider, we encourage you to Google the animal's description. As jumping spiders are so very colorful, and often uniquely patterned, you can often find the specimen your looking for without too much trouble. One great resource for this type of searching is <a href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/1962/bgpage">Bugguide.net</a>. <br />
<br />
Just remember, that when in doubt, always err on the side of caution and contact an expert to help you identify the spider. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-90918074309037472013-01-03T08:18:00.001-08:002013-01-03T08:18:13.497-08:00New year, New start!The last few weeks have been rather slow in terms of posting. Jon and I apologize for this unexpected silence on our end. November and December became inundated with unexpected events and experiments. However, as the new year starts, new schedules are taking shape and many good things are on the way! <br />
The good news for you dear readers is that this coming semester will feature at least one new blog post a week starting around the middle of January. Why the sudden increase in posting? Well, long story short, the book the we have been mentioning has been moved off of the back burner and will be getting large amounts of attention this semester. This means that not only will new pictures be posted frequently, but also that previews of the book's contents will begin showing up on our blog!<br />
Jon and I are both very excited about these new developments and look forward to hearing what you, dear reader, think and things progress!<br />
<br />
Happy New year!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-90313231059789463152012-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:002012-11-09T09:14:18.282-08:00Miniature Mating Rituals Imagine a world where your everyday is fraught with danger. Danger from predators hundreds of times your size. Danger from your potential food which might try and eat you back, or if you're lucky, is only poisonous. Imagine a world so dangerous, that even trying to ask a pretty girl out for a bite to eat could result in you being what was eaten. If you can do all this, then you are starting to understand the world of a jumping spider male on the quest for a mate...<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g2R-qH2AaNY/UI_zmVZhfNI/AAAAAAAAAR0/tFcFBkyBYe4/s1600/soul-mate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g2R-qH2AaNY/UI_zmVZhfNI/AAAAAAAAAR0/tFcFBkyBYe4/s320/soul-mate.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
Jumping spiders have some of the most elaborate and complex mating rituals in the arthropod world. There are a some really good theories behind this complexity, and in today's post we will discuss a few of them.<br />
Many male spiders use vibration as a signal when courting an attractive female, and jumping spiders are no exception. However, unlike many spiders, salticids also have very elaborate visual displays to accompany their vibratory signalling. When you combine the visual display (signal) and the vibratory display (know as a seismic signal in the scientific community), you end up with what is called a multi-modal signal. In other words, if you (the signaler) emit a signal over multiple sensory channels (seismic + visual in this case) you can potential provide more information in less time to the listener (receiver). For instance, the seismic signal could say one thing (ex: I'm a male of your species), while the visual signal could say something else (ex: I'm really fit and attractive!). However, the cost of sending signals this way include things like increased complexity of the transmission, which also increases the difficulty of sending this signal without making an error. This idea of increased difficulty is one of the ideas behind a jumping spiders multi-modal courtship. By using a more complex and difficult to produce signal, the male spider can potentially increase his attractiveness to the female by demonstrating how much more fit he is than his competitors. To put it in more human terms, think of it as having to choose between a mate who can do push-ups while doing basic arithmatic (ex: 2+2=4) in his head versus a mate who can do as more pushups while also doing calculus (ex: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica;"><span><span>d/dx </span>tan x = sec</span><sup><span>2</span></sup><span>
x) </span></span>in his head. Pretty easy choice right?<br />
<br />
Another idea (the signal redundancy hypothesis) asserts that these multi-modal signals are not sending multiple pieces of information, but rather the same information two different ways. The idea here is that if one signal is blocked or poorly received, for instance because the light is poor, then the second part of the signal can compensate for the deficiency. This theory makes a lot of sense when you consider the environments in which some of these spiders live. Tropical forests, for example, have a patchy light distribution and so a spider may not always be able to signal in the lighting that makes him look best. In this case, he would rely on the seismic signal to help him impress the ladies. While he would probably give the best impression in bright light and a nice seismically conductive surface, the males have adapted to being able to signal even under less than ideal conditions. After all, when the consequences of not impressing a female on the first try include death, you don't want to mess things up when you do find the elusive mate you've been hunting.<br />
<br />
Enough with theory, how about some practice? The video below is an excellent example of multi-modal courtship. What you will be watching is a male spider courting a female spider. The female is the one who is pinned in place with wax, while the male is the one moving around and making all of the buzzing and revving sounds. It does take the male about 30 seconds to really get going, but once he does, he puts on quite the show!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/A6Pu-4qzMkk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Pu-4qzMkk" target="_blank">Please click here for a non-embedded version. </a></div>
<br />
For other examples of salticid courtship, I highly recommend searching youtube for "Jumping spider courtship," there is some amazing footage and even a few amusing remixes on the site.<br />
<br />
Happy spidering!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-44113502137581895002012-09-26T16:10:00.002-07:002012-10-03T12:59:24.363-07:00I am Arachnophobic<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Hello, my name is Jon and I am
arachnophobic. When I mention that I work with spiders and am
arachnophobic many people question how it works. I myself sometimes
question how I manage it and why my arachnophobia excludes Salticids.
It wasn't always that way; any and all spiders got swift “justice”
underneath my foot or beneath a rolled up magazine or newspaper.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LHJFUE2cbEk/UGOJcG2axII/AAAAAAAAADk/xFUpz5nbesk/s1600/spider+meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LHJFUE2cbEk/UGOJcG2axII/AAAAAAAAADk/xFUpz5nbesk/s1600/spider+meme.jpg" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My slow transformation from complete
arachnophobia to working with spiders began sophomore year of college
in an Introduction to Zoology class.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Matt was looking for a student
volunteer to help him with his research, somehow I volunteered. My
first trip into the field with Matt was an icy shock into the world
of spiders. Matt had set up a grid system of marking flags with
small vials turned upside down taped to them. The idea is that
Salticids, which don't build webs but instead make nests, would use
the vials as substrate for their nests and we would come along and
coax the spiders out of them. So around dusk, Matt and I arrived at
our first set of traps. Matt calmly showed me what we were doing and
then let me at it. I will admit, I was deathly frightened that the
salticids would jump out and attack me as soon as I turned the flags
upside down to tease them out, but I slowly realized that this was
mental overreaction. After enduring two months of this “torture”
I was finally coming to appreciate the creatures I was collecting.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Once winter had set in, I was then
tasked with identifying what we had collected. Little did I know how
much identification I would be doing over the next three years! The
dichotomous key was difficult to understand at first as most of the
terms were completely new to me (have no fear, we'll make ours easy
to understand as you'll see below). Much of my time was spent
looking up what the labium was and if it was wider then the sternum
or not or trying to keep the names and order of the eyes straight.<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4sllhZ9TK5w/UGOJzRgZDPI/AAAAAAAAADs/vWF3pfL5bns/s1600/Eye+placement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4sllhZ9TK5w/UGOJzRgZDPI/AAAAAAAAADs/vWF3pfL5bns/s320/Eye+placement.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lateral view of Salticid eye locations</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
But slowly I became familiar with
the key and soon was able to locate multiple morphological features
that I would need during my initial inspection of the specimen. From
that point on, I rapidly learned the frustrations of working with
specimens that were tiny, some only a few millimeters. Trying to
tease the chelicerae and fangs open to see if and how many
retromarginal teeth were present, is the PME closer to the ALE or
PLE, is patella-tibia 3 longer or shorter then patella-tibia 4, how
many macrosetae are on tibia 1?</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oEAmcoBM4f8/UGOKDRUoLdI/AAAAAAAAAD0/YeoArTf_jSY/s1600/marpissaF6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oEAmcoBM4f8/UGOKDRUoLdI/AAAAAAAAAD0/YeoArTf_jSY/s320/marpissaF6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found on an immature <i>Marpissa</i>. PS: There are only supposed to be eight macrosetae! (Photo by Jonathan Knudsen)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was
during the first year of identifying that I discovered the two steps
that I hated the most: Step 33 and Step 58. These are two steps that
require the specimen to be sexually mature, and both involve the
shapes and structures of the embolus and epigynum.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As we begin work on the key for our
guide, one of our main goals is to make it easy to understand and
use. Instead of using technical jargon and details about each
spider, we plan on using easier to see morphological traits and terms
to key each species out. In a true dichotomous key, each species
keys out in only one place. However, because we plan on taking a
broader view of each species, multiple species may key out the same.
This may seem like a problem, but we think it will be easier to say,
“It may be Spider A (pg. XX), Spider B (pg. XX), or Spider C (pg.
XX)” and then comparing our photos to their specimens to make the
final species identification. Many of the specimens we've collected
are fairly unique looking, so any confusion during the keying process
can be sorted out using our photos.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have enjoyed being a contributor to
this guide and now to this blog. I look forward to continuing our
work on this project and keeping you updated as we progress. It has
been a fun challenge so far and it will continue to be. Keep you
AME's peeled for my next posting!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358878952895043872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-91618707256249217872012-09-24T10:25:00.003-07:002013-07-11T15:12:55.623-07:00Spotlight on the genus Phidippus Our spotlight genus this go round is the loveable and charismatic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phidippus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i>This genus is one of the more
commonly photographed jumping spiders due to their large size (1cm or larger is
not uncommon), often ornate coloration, and generally
curious disposition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8MVmxNjkL0/Ud8tXW1tNiI/AAAAAAAAAWA/kSI9uvGy5Kk/s1600/phid+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8MVmxNjkL0/Ud8tXW1tNiI/AAAAAAAAAWA/kSI9uvGy5Kk/s400/phid+face.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Myst_face.jpg"><i>Phidippus mystaceus</i> "Is something moving over there? Let's go Look!"</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phidippus</i>
genus encompasses at least 60 different species, including several that are
often used in behavioral studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, my research primarily focuses on the foraging and learning behaviors
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phidippus audax</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="293" src="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/F0UQZSNQO0MK9KKKUKSKNKHK2KHK2K6QT0SKT06Q6KQK2KEQNKGQNK5KY0UQCK5KTK9Q1K9Q30IKZSWQVKIKF0GKVK.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="H41"> </span><span class="P11"><a class="P14" href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/163032" id="m_isp" target="_blank"><i>Phidippus audax</i> from Bugguide.net</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other commonly studied species include <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">P. clarus,</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">P. johnsoni</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">P. princeps</i>. While most of
the work on this genus consists of natural history descriptions out of <a href="http://www.biol.canterbury.ac.nz/people/jacksonr.shtml" target="_blank">Dr. Robert Jackson's lab</a>, much of the more recent work has been conducted by <a href="http://people.umass.edu/ejakob/" target="_blank">Dr. Beth Jakob’s lab</a> where the focus is on vision and visual processing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Phidippus clarus female 01.jpg" height="400" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Phidippus_clarus_female_01.jpg/450px-Phidippus_clarus_female_01.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Phidippus clarus</i> from <span class="P11"><a class="P14" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phidippus_clarus_female_01.jpg" id="m_isp" target="_blank">Wikipedia.org</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Kaldari Phidippus johnsoni female 03.jpg" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Kaldari_Phidippus_johnsoni_female_03.jpg/800px-Kaldari_Phidippus_johnsoni_female_03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="H41"></span><span class="P11"><a class="P14" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phidippus_johnsoni" id="m_isp" target="_blank"><i>Phidippus johnsoni </i>from Wikipedia.org</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="343" src="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/HSAQY01QV05K2KHKPKKKEKKKWK8Q2KHKC0PQD0AQAKVQT0LKWKHK9KLKPK0KDK8KCKBQRSWQVK1QY0MKVKZKVKXKHS.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Phidippus princeps</i> <span class="P11"><a class="P14" href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/155421/bgimage" id="m_isp" target="_blank">from Bugguide.net</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phidippus</i> are
unusually bulky for salticids, giving them the appearance of being rather
short-legged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike some of their
more slender cousins, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phidippus</i> often
remind me of tiny tanks when they are cruising around in search of a prey
item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While they are still quite
capable of pouncing on potential prey items, they tend to do so from a distance
of only 1-2 body lengths, rather than the 4+ body lengths a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Habronattus</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lysomannes </i>might jump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="black and white jumping spider - Habronattus agilis - male" class="bgimage-image" height="332" src="http://bugguide.net/images/cache/4RRHERLHMR1LHZCLMZBLSZCL7ZAL2RRHKZPLLZFZIREL7R2LRZ3Z2RKH7Z9LLZOLLZOZIRPLIRQHPRVL0Z2LQROZ3L.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="black and white jumping spider - Habronattus agilis - male" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="H41"></span><span class="P11"><a class="P14" href="http://bugguide.net/node/view/150638/bgimage" id="m_isp" target="_blank"><i>Habronattus agilis </i>from Bugguide.net</a></span></td></tr>
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One of the defining features of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Phidippus</i> are their iridescent chelicerae.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This unique character makes field
identification of this genus considerably easier than some of their more
cryptic cousins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to
aiding in id, they are also very colorful and can be red, orange, green, blue,
and even purple!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2929487787" target="_blank"><i>Phidippus audax </i>chelicerae by Thomas Shahan </a></td></tr>
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Like virtually all salticids, they are cursorial (wandering
hunters) and do not spin webs for prey capture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, you may catch a glimpse of these tiny predators on
the hunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Robert Jackson says,
the often look like “tiny eight-legged cats” when on the prowl. </div>
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Finally, if you see one of these spiders, I highly recommend
you take a minute or two and watch their behaviors; they could even be watching
you!</div>
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Happy watching!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-79386415131481459302012-09-10T23:57:00.000-07:002012-10-03T12:59:03.982-07:00Salticids... in Space?!?While that may sound like the title to yet another cheesy spider horror movie, it is in fact a real thing. Thanks to NASA's "You Tube Space Lab" program, a very curious young man by the name of Amr Mohamed was given the opportunity to send <i>Salticus scenicus</i> into space. The video to below was his entry into the contest and briefly outlines his experiment.<br />
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As you can see, he does pose quite an interesting problem. While I have my own ideas on how they will adapt, I am curious about your thoughts, dear reader. Do you think the spider will be able to hunt successfully in a Zero-G environment? Why or why not? I would absolutely love to hear your comments and thoughts in the comment box below. Finally, if you want to find out what happens, a live stream of the experiment will be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/spacelab/" target="_blank">broadcast this Thursday September 12 at 0950 (ECT)</a>.<br />
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For a full write up on this project and the other winning entries, please go to <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/livestream.html">http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/livestream.html</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-21049359244007344822012-09-07T09:31:00.000-07:002012-09-07T09:35:02.427-07:00And the spider marches on...Dear readers,<br />
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In spite of the lack of regular (or otherwise) updates lately, we here at Yours for 8 Eyes are not in fact dead. What we are though, is incredibly busy. Two weeks ago I (Matt) and a soon to be new contributor (Jon) went to Cedar Point Biological Station in Ogallala, NE for a little collecting trip. What we ended up with instead was Matt and Jon's Wild Spidery Ride. Instead of bring back between 100-150 salticids as we had hope, we picked up nearly that many on our second day! We even had some days where we were only able to collect for part of the day due to the weather, but still collected more than 100 specimens that day. Long story short, we ended up returning with ~400 live salticids and several more preserved specimens.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each row of vials represents a "new" species found at CPBS.</td></tr>
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I can hear you thinking, dear reader, "what does this have to do with you and why haven't you been posting more anyways?" Well, what this has to do with you is that our booklet (mentioned in earlier posts) will now contain more than 40 species of salticid from Nebraska and should be rife with beautiful color pictures of all of the specimens. As for the lack of posting, lets just say 400 salticids is more than double the amount we've ever had alive in the lab and is turning out to be a ton of work. Thankfully, we enjoy the work!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CJBAYxJ7NaU/UEog257KaLI/AAAAAAAAARY/SBvl6lBT5CQ/s1600/2012-06-02+09.29.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CJBAYxJ7NaU/UEog257KaLI/AAAAAAAAARY/SBvl6lBT5CQ/s400/2012-06-02+09.29.44.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Salticus scenicus</i>, an incredibly common species we encountered at CPBS.</td></tr>
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So what's to come then? Well, the short term plan is to keep posting, hopefully on a weekly basis. The longer term plan includes getting that booklet done and published, continuing to pursue arachnological outreach through this blog and in person, and even graduating! It's going to be a busy little while, but stick with us and some exciting things should appear here shortly. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-65036920525439001502012-06-19T09:35:00.002-07:002012-06-19T09:38:12.858-07:00Teaching and Specimen CollectingI apologize for the delay in posting. The month long hiatus is due to poor internet availability, poor timing and a generally exhausted researcher. For the last two and a half weeks, I have been in Ogallala, NE teaching a course on Field Animal Behavior. Conveniently enough, the area I have been teaching in is also one that is rife with species of salticid that I have yet to find around Lincoln. So far I have not been able to put too much effort into collecting. However, in the brief time that I have spent collecting, I've managed to find at least seven species not found in my previous collection attempts. Unfortunately, I have not had time to identify them to species yet, nor even to photograph the majority of them. However, the picture below is a nice preview of some of the amazing new species that will now make an appearance in the book.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WE8dho0gkoY/T-CkRNyLy-I/AAAAAAAAAQ4/JTTU6vf2mm4/s1600/2012-06-16+11.57.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WE8dho0gkoY/T-CkRNyLy-I/AAAAAAAAAQ4/JTTU6vf2mm4/s400/2012-06-16+11.57.31.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several iridescent salticids found while sweep netting.</td></tr>
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I have one more week of teaching to go, and then the posts should resume their "normal" weekly schedule. Also, be on the look out for more book photos in the near future!<br />
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-10647302688452936522012-05-18T08:22:00.000-07:002012-06-19T09:38:24.339-07:00Photo batch round 1!As promised, here are a few photos of some amazing salticids that will be featured in the upcoming book. While not all of these will necessarily make the cut, the species will all be present. All photos were taken by Jonathan Knudsen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hh1yZ1ize_E/T7ZmxOMx2TI/AAAAAAAAAOY/GNbXA0oNtLc/s1600/1a.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hh1yZ1ize_E/T7ZmxOMx2TI/AAAAAAAAAOY/GNbXA0oNtLc/s400/1a.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female, unidentified.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94n_4szNXv8/T7ZnVyVft8I/AAAAAAAAAO4/4t9LyhSgZqU/s1600/3.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94n_4szNXv8/T7ZnVyVft8I/AAAAAAAAAO4/4t9LyhSgZqU/s400/3.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female ant mimic, unidentified.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j9Fb6Lcicdc/T7ZnozW_J5I/AAAAAAAAAPI/1zumOzvgqbA/s1600/4.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j9Fb6Lcicdc/T7ZnozW_J5I/AAAAAAAAAPI/1zumOzvgqbA/s400/4.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male ant mimic, unidentified but different species from the one above.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDY7-LbRnxA/T7Zn7W3ZUkI/AAAAAAAAAPY/ncwoPwRqKSc/s1600/audax2.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lDY7-LbRnxA/T7Zn7W3ZUkI/AAAAAAAAAPY/ncwoPwRqKSc/s400/audax2.tif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male <i>Phidippus audax.</i></td></tr>
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As always, we welcome your feedback!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-24327621503200012442012-05-15T08:57:00.003-07:002012-05-15T13:47:52.312-07:00Spiders have Teeth?!Sort of...<br />
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If you take a very close look at some spiders, including several species of salticid, you will see on their chelicerae (fangs) a few small bumps. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I3neHYX14o/T7K--5XnMDI/AAAAAAAAAOM/mpg2e7xrpJQ/s1600/salticus+fangs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1I3neHYX14o/T7K--5XnMDI/AAAAAAAAAOM/mpg2e7xrpJQ/s400/salticus+fangs.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Male, <i>Salticus</i> <i>sp.</i> arrows indicate cheliceral teeth. Photo Credit: Shawn Custer</div>
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These bumps (red arrows) are known as cheliceral teeth and are used to masticate (chew) prey in much the same way as our teeth. The major difference being that while our teeth come in a variety of shapes and sizes so that they can be used for different purposes, the cheliceral teeth on a spider are only used to break down prey items into smaller bits. The particular specimen shown above is a male from the genus <i>Salticus</i>. In this case it is very easy to determine the sex of the spider as only males have the very enlarged chelicerae, and only when they are sexually mature. Normally, however, the cheliceral teeth and fangs are not so exposed. The picture below presents a much more normal view of this same specimen, very much how we would find one in nature.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mXhBjGdyWFE/T7K9h-DfaoI/AAAAAAAAAN8/TOF7zfkNPgs/s1600/salticus+top+down.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mXhBjGdyWFE/T7K9h-DfaoI/AAAAAAAAAN8/TOF7zfkNPgs/s400/salticus+top+down.png" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
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Male, <i>Salticus sp.</i> Top down view with scale bar. Photo Credit: Shawn Custer</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="unicode-bidi: embed;">As you can see from this photo, the chelicera are normally folded up and are frequently covered by the pedipalps (the two small appendages on top of the chelicera in this photo). As a result, virtually the only people to have ever seen a spider's cheliceral teeth are arachnologists who are trying to identify the specimen, as the presence and shape of the teeth are a diagnostic character used in many <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dichotomous+key" target="_blank">dichotomous keys</a>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="unicode-bidi: embed;">You may have noticed that both of these photos are not only of the same specimen but are also by the same person. That is because these photos, and the few that follow, are all preliminary photos for the book mentioned in last week's post. From now until the book is released, we will strive to release at least one new photo a week so that you, dear reader, will have an idea of what is to come. We hope you enjoy the photos and would love to hear your feedback on them!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f8VG6rlyT04/T7K9eCdHM-I/AAAAAAAAANs/tgueU8VOZi4/s1600/salticus+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f8VG6rlyT04/T7K9eCdHM-I/AAAAAAAAANs/tgueU8VOZi4/s400/salticus+1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Male, <i>Salticus sp.</i> front view. Photo Credit: Shawn Custer</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DX3vQnxFZgU/T7K9UH7SEEI/AAAAAAAAANc/yLEKTuZGJWo/s1600/platycryptus+undulatus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DX3vQnxFZgU/T7K9UH7SEEI/AAAAAAAAANc/yLEKTuZGJWo/s400/platycryptus+undulatus.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<i>Platycryptus undulatus, </i>Top down view. Photo Credit: Matt Adams</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-byNsg-E96q8/T7K9V5FIqUI/AAAAAAAAANk/vR1WAfTJ4Ic/s1600/salticid1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-byNsg-E96q8/T7K9V5FIqUI/AAAAAAAAANk/vR1WAfTJ4Ic/s400/salticid1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Face on view of an unidentified salticid. Photo Credit: Jonathan Knudsen</div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-49985618556650242132012-05-07T12:58:00.001-07:002012-05-07T12:58:32.639-07:00Exciting things to come!I am very pleased to announce that one of my collaborators and I have just recieved funding to make a small book on local jumping spiders! The book (which will be published in pdf form on this blog for free) will feature full color close ups (macro photography), a dichotomous key to species and a few hands-on activities aimed at teaching kids about jumping spiders. While we have only just started work on the project, we are hoping to have the bulk of the photos taken by the end of the summer and will definitely be posting some of our favorites as we progress. <br />
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If there is anything that you, my dear readers, would like to see in the book, please tell us in the comments! We will make every effort to address all of your reasonable requests. In the mean time, stay tuned for more Salticid-tastic updates and sneak previews of the book.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-32934459420444373072012-04-18T13:16:00.001-07:002012-06-19T09:38:39.463-07:00More on visionI came across this interesting tidbit of a video about jumping spider color vision and how they hunt. The link will take you straight to the video, and from there you can find out more information about the study by clicking on the link to the right labeled "<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/335/6067/469">read the article</a>."<br />
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<a href="http://video.sciencemag.org/VideoLab/1414298176001/1">Happy Watching!</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3316133030281148721.post-69814801483452529692011-12-02T10:06:00.001-08:002012-06-19T09:39:00.992-07:00What can you learn from a spider?That is the question isn't it? Another way to phrase it might be, "Why bother studying spiders, especially those "icky" jumping ones? Good question! Read on for an answer.<br />
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Lots, tons even, of research has been done on spiders in general. As with much of reality, the things we humans focus on are often those that catch our eye or make us afraid. Jumping spiders, being the charismatic mini-fauna that they are, are no exception. With that in mind it is no wonder that salticids have been studied so extensively. What may not be readily obvious to most people though, is that the scientists often have other motivating factors as well. For instance, as was discussed in the previous post, salticids are pretty dang odd for a spider and if there is one thing that scientists love to study, it is an exception.<br />
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So what have we learned from salticids so far? Well one thing we have definitely learned is that in spite of having a brain that would fit on the head of a pin with room to spare, salticids are actually quite capable learners. In fact, research during the last few decades has shown that salticids are capable of learning from their mistakes in a trial-and-error fashion (Jackson & Wilcox 1993), learning to avoid many different kinds of noxious (unpleasant) stimuli (Skow 2006), and even how to take detours in order to reach a goal(Carducci & Jakob 2000). If that list isn't too impressive sounding, think about how long it can take some dogs to learn a new trick; some spiders show learning after only 2-3 attempts! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="262" src="http://www.findaspider.org.au/info/images/Salticid%20nervous%20syst%20diag.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This lovely diagram was borrowed from the "Find a Spider Guide."<br />
<a href="http://www.findaspider.org.au/info/spiderNS.htm">http://www.findaspider.org.au/info/spiderNS.htm</a></td></tr>
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We have also learned that the environment a spider is reared in effects how it develops (Carducci & Jakob 2000). While much of what has been learned from salticids is not directly applicable to humans, this particular finding is definitely applicable! For example, using the findings from Carducci and Jakob's study, we can draw inferences about how the environment we raise our children in will effect their future mental development. Not bad for a little spider research!</div>
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This list of salticid (and spider) based contributions goes on but suffice to say, these little animals are teaching us quite a lot about our world and how things work within it. My personal research on jumping spiders is about their ability to learn by watching each other. While much of my work is still in progress, I can say that so far, they definitely seem to be among the handful of non-human organisms that are capable of learning this way. Stay tuned for more updates!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02530146975895384297noreply@blogger.com1