Phidippus pius

Scheffer, 1905

Phidippus pius is a of jumping spider in the Salticidae. The species name derives from the Latin "pius," meaning dutiful or pious. It exhibits in coloration, with females typically yellow to orange and males orange to red. The species shows considerable variation in color pattern among individuals.

Phidippus pius by Opoterser. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.Phidippus pius 47722206 by Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.Phidippus pius abdomen by Opoterser. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Phidippus pius: //faɪˈdɪpəs paɪəs//

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Identification

Distinguished from other Phidippus by specific genitalic characters visible only under microscopic examination. Color pattern alone is unreliable for identification due to considerable intraspecific variation and overlap with related species. External requires comparison with described specimens.

Images

Appearance

Sexually dimorphic in coloration. Females are yellow to orange; males are orange to red. Color pattern varies among individuals. As a member of Phidippus, possesses the characteristic enlarged typical of salticid spiders.

Distribution

Eastern United States (excluding New England), west to Arizona, and south to Rica. Also recorded from El Salvador.

Similar Taxa

  • Phidippus apacheanusSimilar orange and black coloration in males; both occur in overlapping ranges in the western and central United States. Reliable separation requires examination of genitalia.
  • Other Phidippus speciesMany Phidippus exhibit similar color patterns and body forms. Edwards (2004) notes that color and pattern are unreliable for species identification in this without microscopic examination of genitalic structures.

More Details

Etymology

The specific epithet "pius" is derived from Latin, meaning dutiful, godly, holy, or pious. The reason for this choice of name was not explained by the original describer Scheffer (1905).

Sources and further reading