The Jumping Spiders (Salticidae) of Wichita County, Texas

Abstract

Jumping spiders are abundant diurnal hunters that must be of considerable economic importance through destruction of harmful insects. Little has been published concerning the distribution of species in Texas, and almost nothing concerning their habitats or ecology. Thirty distinct species have been identified in Wichita County, each with its own habits and habitat preferences. Jumping spiders are diurnal hunters that rarely exceed 20 mm in body length, and are often brightly or brilliantly colored. They occupy a great variety of habitats and may be locally abundant. In some areas, virtually every branch of every tree and shrub is occupied by one or more jumping spiders. They must be of considerable economic importance through their destruction of harmful insects. A few of the larger forms are capable of inflicting painful bites that may involve some tissue destruction and have effect for a week or more. Some species habitually live in or on human habitations and man-made structures. A number of species have been described from Texas, and other species have been listed in general and revisionary works. Yet the Texas members of the family have been but little studied, and virtually nothing has been published as to their habits and habitats. Published records of species of jumping spiders from Texas are few. Barnes (1955, 1958) lists five of the species that I have found in Wichita County. Other reports deal with salticids from Oklahoma (e.g. Branson, 1966), Connecticut (Kaston, 1948), Kansas (Fitch, 1963), Michigan (Chickering, 1944) and Arizona (Richman, 1965). All of these are helpful in studying jumping spiders in Texas. However the most thorough treatment, and most valuable in regard to Texas salticids, is the classic work of Peckham and Peckham (1909) which, though old, is still a rich source of information. The salticid fauna of Texas must be extremely rich in species. In Wichita County, along the northern border of the state, I found 30 distinct species. In contrast, Branson (1966) found only 14 species in Marshall County, Oklahoma, and Richman (1965) found 13 species in Yuma County, Arizona.