Tiny gems from the leaf litter.

Discuss natural history subjects not strictly related to birds. Reports of interesting mammal, reptile, and invertebrate sightings are welcome.
flossiepip
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:27 pm

Tiny gems from the leaf litter.

Postby flossiepip » Sat May 08, 2021 2:32 pm

In recent weeks I've found a couple of new tiny jumping spiders to go with a few that I've known about for some years. They are mostly very small at around 2-3mm but one is some what larger at about 4.5mm.
Don't know if they are one of the named and described jumpers for here in New Zealand or un named and un described, I have put them up for id on one or two sites but no names have as far come back.
I always find them in dark , shady places around our garden usually on the wire fence that passes close to native bush, so would guess they come from the over hanging branches or bark from the trees but could also come up from the leaf litter. All are very well camouflaged as well as being tiny, so very hard to see even when you look at them. Two are very common with the rest being rather less so and they could be very localized but its impossible to say.
It does make one think that New Zealand could very well have a very rich diversity of these tiny little Salticidae waiting to be found!
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flossiepip
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:27 pm

Re: Tiny gems from the leaf litter.

Postby flossiepip » Sat May 08, 2021 2:35 pm

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Missed a couple!
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Nakilad
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 10:52 am

Re: Tiny gems from the leaf litter.

Postby Nakilad » Sat Jul 03, 2021 9:26 pm

Just came across these, they're stunning! Both the spiders and the photos. Thanks.
Vaughan Turner
Birding Remotely
flossiepip
Posts: 191
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:27 pm

Re: Tiny gems from the leaf litter.

Postby flossiepip » Sun Jul 18, 2021 1:59 pm

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Thought that I would add this one as I see it a lot and it always looks the same, which makes me feel that it is a distinct species and not a tiny baby of something better known and bigger. As you can see from the 2 mm wire its very small and female I think!

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