Phidippus regius, the regal jumping spider, is one of the largest species of the jumping spiders of the Phidippus genera. It occurs mostly in the Southeastern United States as well as the Caribbean and the Easter Islands. The largest share of its population can be found in the state of Florida. Over the last years, the spider has been introduced and established populations in the Western United States as well as on Hawaii.
Description of the Regal Jumping Spider
The regal jumping spider comes in three different appearances.
The male is always black with white bands around its legs. On its back, there are usually three white spots and a white stripe around the top of its abdomen. The white spots often resemble a smiley face – there are two almond-shaped or round spots at the end of the abdomen and a larger, triangular shape closer to the cephalothorax (head) that often looks like a mouth. The male can often be confused with the similar looking Daring Jumping Spider. If the spots on the back of the abdomen are orange, it is most likely a daring jumping spider.
The female comes in two appearances that are easier to identify.
The gray form of the female is mostly gray with some black bands on its legs and markings on the abdomen.
The orange form female has an orange-colored abdomen and cephalothorax while the legs look similar of the gray form female.
Size
The average females reach a body size of 0.6 inches (15 mm) and can grow up to 0.9 inches (22 mm). Males are slightly smaller and can reach a size of up to 0.7 inches (18 mm). Phidippus regius is therefore one of the largest jumping spiders found in the United States.
Web
As other jumping spider species, the regal jumping spider is a hunting spider and does not spin a web to catch prey. They only time they build a web is before a long or deep jump. With this “safety line”, their fall will end softly, if something goes wrong with the jump
Bites
As other jumping spiders, the regal spider usually runs away to hide rather than attack a human. While there are cases where people get bit, the bites are not a medical concern. They usually cause some local pain and swelling. At worst, it may lead to a mild headache and nausea which will pass.
Scientific Classification of Phidippus regius
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Family: Salticidae
- Genus: Phidippus
- Species: Phidippus regius
Distribution of the Regal Jumping Spider in the USA
The regal jumping spider can be found in the Southeastern and Western United States, most often in Florida and in these states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia.
References:
- Taxon details: World Spider Catalogue
- Binomial name from: Koch, 1846
- http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/regal_jumping_spider.htm
Late June 2021
Denver, CO
Concrete bridge over Platte river
Body 12mm
Hello Doug, thanks for uploading this picture. This is a bold jumper, Phidippus audax: https://usaspiders.com/phidippus-audax-daring-jumping-spider/
Found this spider several years ago when I lived in Clermont, FL. It was on the inside of my screened-in porch, which is weird because I don’t know how it managed to capture the butterfly. There were no holes in my screens. I don’t remember the time of year that I found it.
Hello Andrew, thank you for uploading this great shot! This is a female regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius) in its orange form. It appears to be gravid. You can find more information about it here: https://usaspiders.com/phidippus-regius-regal-jumping-spider/