Back : Next

Euryattus bleekeri (Doleschall, 1859) Bleeker's Jumping Spider

A common jumping spider, variable in size, colour and pattern, with a range from Northern NSW to Sri Lanka, probably also elsewhere in eastern Australia. Females can be up to 10mm in body length, the males smaller, up to about 6mm. They are abdundant on shrubs in coastal areas, especially near the sea, in thick scrub behind dunes. They prefer relatively thick but dry foliage, such as dense shrubs with tangled vines. Mature spiders have flat fronted somewhat stippled but relatively smooth chelicerae, usually jet black and prominent. The males do not have transverse ridges or bowing on the edges of their straight edged chelicerae, separating them from Servaea. Females are less orange in the face, carapace and especially abdomen than the males which can have distinctive orange markings somewhat like a pair of butterfly wings, a party mask, or large heart-shaped lips, on the forward third of the upper surface of the abdomen. Juvenile males are often more orange-brown than adults. Adult males can be either orange or black. Both males and females have white scales in a band around the rear of the carapace and the leading edge of the abdomen. They are fissident, with a prominent double-pointed tooth on the retromargin the chelicerae (the underneath or ventral edge). They have a row of single smaller teeth on the promargin (front or dorsal edge). They build a flat, densely woven egg sac and place it nearby the nest in rolled up leaves. First described as Salticus bleekeri by Doleschall in 1859, it has had many name changes, being put in genera including Plexippus, Hasarius and Plotius. The currently accepted name comes from the 1989 revision of Australian salticids by Davies and Zabka.

Female from side and above, facing up


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Female, lighter coloured, more patterned, from above


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Female, side on


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Female, side view from above


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Female, mostly grey, from above


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Female, mostly bald, from above


Euryattus bleekeri female
Photo: Robert Whyte

Female, mostly bald, facing


Euryattus bleekeri female
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male adult side on from above, orange-brown


Euryattus bleekeri mature male
Photo: Dr Greg Anderson

Male adult mostly black to dark brown with white scales and hairs


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male adult side on from behind, mostly black


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male subadult from Bromwich Street, The Gap, some orange brown


Part of a biodiversity survey at 25 Bromwich St, The Gap, on Fish Creek, comparing this mostly native garden with a similar area of dry rain forest restoration work.

Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male subadult, orange-brown with white scales body length about 3.5mm


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male subadult, orange-brown with white scales, facing


Zenodorus sp?
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male subadult, orange-brown with white scales, from above


Zenodorus sp?

Male subadult, orange-brown with white scales, lifting spinnerets to escape on silk.


Zenodorus sp?
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male subadult, from above

Euryattus bleekeri subadult male
Red Beach, Bribie Island Photo: Robert Whyte

Male left palp, showing bifurcated embolus


Euryattus bleekeri palp
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male right palp, from side


Euryattus bleekeri male palp
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male palps from underneath


Euryattus bleekeri palp
Photo: Robert Whyte

Male teeth on chelicera, note large double pointed tooth


Euryattus bleekeri chelicerae
Photo: Robert Whyte

Juvenile


These spiders are sometimes found along creek edges or beside water, as well as throughout all kinds of scrub and in gardens. It may be a very young stage of the Euryattus bleekeri. It may be possible to confirm this possibility by raising young from positivitely identified females, and also by raising these spiders when found. Update: we have found these in the nests with the adults. They are the juveniles and there are other instars that looks similar.

Zenodorus sp?
Photo: Dr Greg Anderson

Juvenile


Zenodorus sp?
Photo: Robert Whyte

Juvenile


Zenodorus sp?
Photo: Robert Whyte

Juvenile


Unidentified Salticid Jumping Spider
Photo: Robert Whyte

Juvenile


Sandalodes bipenicillatus
Photo: Robert Whyte

Juvenile


Unidentified Salticid Jumping Spider
Photo: Robert Whyte

Juvenile


Unidentified Salticid Jumping Spider
Photo: Robert Whyte

Subadult


Zenodorus sp?
Photo: Robert Whyte

North Stradbroke Island, Brown Lake specimen 260810


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

North Stradbroke Island, Brown Lake specimen 260810


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Robert Whyte

Female North Queensland GJA-5820-f


Eur
Photo: Dr Greg Anderson

Male subadult From North Queensland GJA-5881-pen-m


Euryattus bleekeri
Photo: Dr Greg Anderson

Egg chamber in bark


This egg chamber is slung along an arched grass stem mostly where the grass stem is horizontal to the ground. The nest is inside a curled piece of bark or leaf, quite strong. Inside it always a large female and variously eggs or babies. The babies are the striped spiders suspected previously of being juveniles of this species.

Euryattus bleekeri nest
Photo: Robert Whyte

Egg chamber opened


Euryattus bleekeri nest
Photo: Robert Whyte

 
Back : Next
View My Stats