Saitis barbipes
Saitis barbipes, females
Saitis barbipes is a frequently encountered in Mediterranean Europe spiders of the family of jumping spiders ( Salticidae ).
Features
The animals reach a body length of five to six millimeters. The males are strikingly colorful and possess a greatly enlarged and densely haired third pair of legs. It is laterally flattened and laterally colored coral up to and including the metatarsus. Are black hair fringes, which are ever more densely to the metatarsal at the upper and lower edge. The tarsus is covered with dense hair white. The other pairs of legs are pale striped yellow and blackish. The prosoma is dark brown and white hairs gray above the eye field. The frontal eye are bright emerald green, behind it lies a red to orange -colored horizontal stripes, which extends on the sides to the rear pair of eyes. The opisthosoma is marked on the top with a whitish longitudinal stripe that is edged brown and black on the sides. The females are inconspicuous yellow-brown. Your eye field is dark. The opisthosoma is provided on the top side with a dark enclosed longitudinal ligament, there are several dark spots angle in the rear area. The legs are light brown and almost without markings.
Way of life
Saitis barbipes occupied in their area of distribution about the same habitats as in Central Europe, the Zebra Jumping Spider ( Salticus scenicus ). In case of failure, the males raise the eye-catching third pair of legs to confuse the opponent. During courtship, the males with the greatly enlarged pair of legs waving to attract the attention of the female. Sexually mature animals can be found all year round.
Occurrence
Saitis barbipes is widespread in the European Mediterranean area, the distribution extends north to the southern edge of the Alps. The animals colonize rocks and rubble heaps. In the settlement area the species is frequently found on walls and facades as well as in buildings.
Name
The species name is derived from Latin and means " bearded foot."