common Hentz jumping spider

not listed

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SNR - Unranked

not listed

Common Hentz jumping spider is a small jumping spider. It occurs in North America east of the Rocky Mountains and in Mexico. In the United States it is most common in the southeast and west to Texas. It is uncommon in Minnesota, where it is at the northern extent of its range. It is commonly found on shrubs and small trees.

The female is ⅛″ to ¼″ (4.7 to 6.1 mm) long and has a legspan of ¼″ (6 to 7 mm). The male is smaller, ⅛″ to 3 ⁄16″ (4.0 to 5.3 mm) long. The body is slightly elongated.

On the female, the front part of the body (cephalothorax) is longer than wide. The plate covering the cephalothorax (carapace) is reddish-brown, dark on the sides and rear, lighter in the middle. It is irregularly covered with white scales giving it a mottled appearance. There are four pairs of eyes arranged in what appears to be three rows occupying less than half of the carapace. The first row of four eyes, consisting of the anterior median eyes (AME) and anterior lateral eyes (ALE), is curved backward. The AME are the middle and forward-most pair of these. They are by far the largest of all of the eyes and can be moved. The AME are about twice as large as the ALE. The second row of two eyes are the posterior median eyes (PME). They are very small and are barely or not at all noticeable on most photos. Below each PME there is a pair of close tufts of long black hairs (hair pencils). The third row of eyes is the posterior lateral eyes (PLE). The PLE are set far back on the head and are only slightly wider apart than the first row of four eyes (AME and ALE together). The PME and ALE form a wide rectangle. The narrow plate above the mouth (clypeus) is covered with white hairs. The prominent mouthparts (chelicerae) corresponding to jaws are reddish-brown. There are two sensory appendages (palps) associated with the mouthparts. The palps are yellow with three dark spots on top (dorsally).

The abdomen is yellowish, is covered with white hairs, and has three or four dark markings appearing either as forward-pointing triangles or a herringbone pattern.

The legs are translucent. The first pair of legs are the longest and are mostly light orangish-brown. The underside of the third leg segment (femur) near the tip, and the tips of the fourth segment (patella) and fifth segment (tibia) are dark. The femur and patella have spatula-shaped hairs on the lower margin. The remaining legs are yellow.

On the male the carapace is orangish-brown with a dark area in the middle, becoming wider toward the rear; an orange band on the front and sides around the eyes; and below that a broad white band. The clypeus is covered with white hairs. The chelicerae are moderately elongated and dark reddish brown with a fringe of white hairs above. The abdomen is medium or dark orangish-brown with a broad white band on each side. The front legs are mostly dark reddish-brown. The base of the sixth segment (metatarsus) and the entire seventh segment (tarsus) are yellow. The remaining legs are translucent and yellow.

Female Body Length: ⅛″ to ¼″ (4.7 to 6.1 mm)

Male Body Length: ⅛″ to 3 ⁄16″ (4.0 to 5.3 mm)

Legspan: ¼″ (6 to 7 mm)

Jumping spiders do not hunt from webs.

White-jawed jumping spider (Hentzia mitrata) front legs are whitish and unpigmented.

Sources

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota