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Description of Philaeus chrysops (Red-bellied jumping spider)
Physical Characteristics
Female 7 to 12 mm. Markings highly variable.
Abdomen light orange brown with a black median band or dark brown with two light bands.
Carapace dark brown with variable white and red spots. Around the eyes light and sometimes also red hairs.
Legs light-dark annulated.
Palps with light hairs.
Male 5 to 12 mm. Markings highly variable.
Abdomen bright red to yellow-orange with a variable, tapered, black median band.
Carapace black with variable white spots and/or dashes. Around the eyes also white spots.
Legs whitish with thin black annulations. First two pairs of legs usually with orange to red hair.
Palps with long white hairs.
Habitat
In rocky areas and on walls. Sometimes in shrubbery.
Distribution
Common in the Mediterranean area. Up to the north as far as the Netherlands and Great Britain, but rarely found.
Period
Spring and summer.