Regal Jumping Spider

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Species native to the southeastern regions of the United States (especially Florida) and the Caribbean (Cuba, Bahamas). Jumping spiders do not spin fixed webs to catch prey: they are nomadic, diurnal hunters that live in woods, on tree bark, among tall grasses, or on the warm walls of buildings exposed to the sun.

Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the Salticidae family, the largest and most intelligent family of spiders in the world. In captivity, two exceptional "localities" are primarily bred: the 'Florida' (more common) and the 'Bahamas' or 'Cuba', where females exhibit spectacular salmon pink, peach orange, or creamy white liveries.

Behavior and Habits: Tiny intelligences. They are arachnids endowed with analytical curiosity: they rotate their cephalothorax to look their keeper in the face, follow finger movements, and carefully plan their jumps (anchoring themselves first with a safety silk thread, called a dragline). They are perpetually in motion, active by day and sleeping at night inside a silk cocoon (hammock) they weave in the high corners of the terrarium.

Morphology: Tiny but robust, reaching a maximum of 0.8-1 inch (2-2.5 cm) in legspan. Their vision is formidable: 8 eyes, of which the two anterior median ones are enormous, telescopic, capable of focus and perfect color vision. Dimorphism is extreme and obvious: males are always and only jet black with white spots and metallic emerald green-blue chelicerae (fangs). Females are larger, fuzzier, and vary from gray to brown, to pink and orange, with fuchsia or violet chelicerae.

Terrarium Setup: Demand microscopic, vertically oriented enclosures (e.g. 6x6x8 inches tall) in clear acrylic. The terrarium MUST have a Bottom-opening or Front-opening design: this is because the spider will weave its vital resting hammock wedged into the highest corner of the roof, and a top-opening would destroy its home every time you feed it. Use crossed twigs and cork bark to allow safe jumping.

Lighting and Heating: Being strictly diurnal visual predators, BLINDING and intense light (e.g. strong white LEDs placed above the enclosure) is mandatory to make them hunt; in the dark, they will not eat. Household temperature is excellent (73-79°F / 23-26°C), but they offer the best of their hunting repertoire if a tiny heat source brings the top of the container to 82°F (28°C) during the day. No UVB necessary.

Humidity and Hydration: They prefer medium humidity (60%). Being so small, they will ONLY drink the tiny micro-drops of water created by very finely misting ONE wall of the terrarium once every two days. Too much humidity, drops that are too large, or constant condensation will drown them by suffocating their tiny book lungs.

Feeding and Supplementation: Ballistic hunters of active insects. They avoid slow worms. The perfect diet consists of flying or jumping prey: bluebottle flies (nutritionally perfect), very small crickets, and flightless fruit flies (melanogaster or hydei) for spiderlings. The spider will jump several inches capturing the fly in mid-air. They do not require any calcium or vitamin supplements.

Compatibility: Highly efficient asocial assassins. Absolutely cannibalistic and territorial. Never, under any circumstances, keep two specimens together, even if very small: the faster one will instantly paralyze and devour the slower one.

Health and Common Diseases: Age is their true limit: males live a mere 12-14 months, females reach a maximum of 18-20 months, fading away from natural death. Falling during molting is lethal: during pre-molt, they seal themselves in their silk hammock for entire weeks, and if disturbed or forced out, they will fall to the bottom, fatally injuring themselves during the delicate extraction of the new exoskeleton.