Sitticus fasciger

Sitticus fasciger
Sitticus fasciger Jumping Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Salticidae
Genus:	Sitticus
Species:	S. fasciger
Binomial name
Sitticus fasciger

Sitticus fasciger is a species of spider from the Salticidae family indigenous to north and west Asia but now introduced to North America.

Description

The spider is brownish-black coloured,^[1] has 8 eyes, and is 3–4 millimetres (0.12–0.16 in) in size.^[2] The sexes are similar in size but the males have a small, but more slender abdomen compared to the female, with larger black palps.^{[3] [4]}

Species history

The species, originally found throughout north and west Asia,^[5] is an introduced species in North America, first documented there in the 1950s or 1960s. Their success can be attributed to colonizing man-made structures, which provide refuge and camouflage for the mottled brown-and-grey spiders. This species also capitalizes on the artificial lighting found on many buildings, which attracts prey at night, thereby providing these visually-acute spiders with extended foraging opportunities.^[6]

References