Unknown spider

[cdcrocks]

Hey, guys! I found this little guy in the window of my mom's convertable. I managed to get him/her into one of my mantis cups and I misted the side and added a few D. melanogaster. He/she was hungry, the top of the car had been closed for a couple of days, and almost immediatley after taking a drink pounced on a fly. I've never had a spider before, and I was wondering if I could just care for it like a mantis. Drop in a few flies and mist daily. And if anyone knows the species, or even the general group it's in, and perhaps the age, I'd appreciate it! The whole thing is about a third of an inch long, with the legs tucked in close to the body a good bit of the time.

Please excuse the crappy phone pictures, my mom's not ok with me letting a spider out on the table for pictures like I do for my mantids. I'm amazed she's letting me keep it at all.

Thank you!

 

[Rick]

Not sure but chances are you can find it here: www.bugguide.net

 

[HungryGhost]

Some type of jumping spider.

 

[Digger]

It's a Jumping spider (Salticidae), CD.

Last week, I captured my first jumping spider - a Platycryptus undatus. She also was very hungry. Like you, I gave a very light mist to a section of the container and added ffs. Yesterday I bought a few small crickets (about the spider's size) and she quickly pounced and took all afternoon to drain the crix dry. Her name is Abigail. Jumpers like to move around in the day time, so try to put her in a container larger than you think you need. I transferred Abigail to a medium Kritter Keeper. Also, most species like to rest in hiding spots. I use a small sheet of crumpled paper towel - and she loves it (stays under it for about half the day). Be careful to mist very lightly. They breathe through a book lung which opens on the ventral abdomen. You don't want her to drown in a tiny puddle. I found that ffs just weren't enough for her. Remember, unlike our mantids, your jumper isn't getting nourishment from the whole bug. They only suck out the liquified innards.

Here is a link to Kentucky Jumping Spiders: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/spiders/jumping/jumping.htm#platycryptus

Here's Abigail when I first brought her in last week:

 

[psyconiko]

Phidippus sp female,probably Phidippus putnami.Very nice one.

 

[Digger]

Nikko -- you're referring to CD's spider, yes?

 

[cdcrocks]

Thanks for the link, digger. None of the pictures look quite like my first spider, but I caught another one that's apparently a Paraphidippus aurantius. They're both in 32 oz. deli cups, which I'm guessing are plenty of room for them. I'll probably try to catch some crickets outside, as my mantids aren't quite large enough to take them yet and I don't want to be tempted to use them before my nymphs are big enough.

Do you guys think it's fully grown? I'll try to get some better pictures of both spiders today.