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Dimorphic Jumper
Maevia inclemens
36.2169, -81.7375
Field Notes
Description:
Jumping spiders have large forelegs and short, powerful back legs. Unlike most arthropods, spiders have no extensor muscles in their limbs and instead extend them by increasing their blood pressure. Jumping spiders can leap several times their own length by powerfully extending the third or fourth pairs of legs, reaching up to 200 millimetres (7.9 in) with the forelimbs extended to grasp the prey. Spiders maintain balance when walking, so that legs 1 and 3 on one side and 2 and 4 on the other side are moving, while the other four legs are on the surface. To run faster, spiders increase their stride frequency
Habitat:
Maevia inclemens is found throughout the eastern and mid-west United States and south-west Canada, including: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York state, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Quebec and Manitoba. A study reported in 1981 on one mature and three recently clear-cut sites in the southern Appalachian Mountains near Highlands, North Carolina. All specimens of spiders that hunt were collected on plants or webs above ground. Clear-cutting caused a marked decrease in the abundance of nine species and a marked increase in four species, while M. inclemens and six others showed no change.
A few jumping spider species, including M. inclemens, have been able to establish themselves in man-made structures. Most often these spiders are found on outbuildings or structures such as fences, rather than in permanently inhabited houses
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