Johnson Jumping Spider

[Josh220]

I had just gotten home, sat down in my room, and I notice a black blob moving on the wall out of the corner of my eye. At first I had no idea what type of spider it was, since it had a black body and a bright red/orange abdomen. As soon as I got closer, I knew right away that it was a jumper by it's movement- jerky/twitchy, pivoting in place, etc. His eyes were too hard to see until I took him outside, which is usually a dead giveaway.

I run downstairs to grab a cup... As I approach it with the cup in hand, he decides to jump at me- right into the cup! I take him downstairs so I can put him in the yard and take some pictures- giggling like a little girl the whole way down the stairs (I spend hours searching for jumpers, so I found it amusing that one decided to walk across my ceiling).

I did some research and it appears to be a Johnson Jumper by the coloration- His abdomen is solid red/orange so it is a male. Females have a black line/mark on the abdomen, males are solid.

Anyways, here are the shots I came away with. He seemed to be entertained by his reflection.

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He finally ventured out of the cup and found himself a new place to hide.

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[Josh220]

I also read that these tend to be a bit more aggressive than other jumpers, so extra caution should be used if handling them with bare skin.

 

[orionmystery]

Very nice shots...love the colors on this jumper.

 

[kyrontf]

Nice! He's a beautiful spider. His fangs seem to be bluer than the ones here.

I've handled several males (and females) so far and have found them all to be very friendly and inquisitive.

 

[Crollo]

Funnily enough I saw one of these for the first time just a couple days ago.
As for biting, it's a jumping spider, how could you possibly be scared of it biting you? You have more risk of getting bit by a guinea pig then a jumping spider.

 

[Josh220]

Thanks guys!