Jumping spider

Fact Box Species: Hypoblemum villosum (Proszynski) Family: Salticidae Body length: female: 7 mm male: 7 mm Habitat: Often found on walls of buildings and on tree trunks on warmer days Toxicity: Unknown; not particularly aggressive towards humans but may easily jump into clothing by accident and then bite, producing inflammation and local pain; too small to be dangerous but handle with caution

Another female Another male Another female Underneath male

Note that in the 1880s the same spider collector named two Hypoblemum species: H. villosum and H. albovittatum. Various internet sites mention these as being found widely in Australia and New Zealand and they are quite similar in appearance. However, it appears that H. villosum has a complete white fringe at the rear of the cephalothorax (broken on H. albovittatum) and on an H. villosum male the front part of the cephalothorax is orange whereas H. albovittatum lacks this orange area. On the basis of these differences the spider shown above is presumed to be Hypoblemum villosum.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: There are several other salticid species with similar brown-grey markings and body shape that could be confused with this species and it is necessary to use a stereo microscope to identify this species with certainty, the critical features being the genital anatomy and the arrangement of teeth on the chelicerae.