Regal Jumping Spider

The regal jumping spider, also known as the Phidippus regius, is a species of jumping spider that can be found in the southeastern United States. This is a type of jumping spider that is often kept as a pet in captivity. Regal jumping spiders are small and have an attractive coloration that makes them unusual exotic pets.

Often found around Florida, regal jumping spiders are known for being the largest species of Phidippus.

3 Facts About Regal Jumping Spiders

1. Regal jumping spiders create elliptic webs that have two exits on either side.
2. They are the largest species of Phidippus found in eastern North America.
3. Regal jumping spiders are sexually dysmorphic, and it is easy to tell the male and female apart by their appearance.

Regal Jumping Spider Species, Types, and Scientific Name

The regal jumping spider belongs to the Salticadae family, which is one of the largest family of spiders, having around 6,000 different types. They are a type of jumping spider from the Phidippus genus and are scientifically known as the Phidippus regius.

Appearance: How To Identify Regal Jumping Spiders

Regal jumping spiders are sexually dysmorphic, which makes it easy to distinguish between a male and a female by looking at their characteristics. The female regal jumping spiders have the most color and grow to a larger adult size of 0.28 inches to 0.87 inches, while males reach a size of 0.24 inches to 0.71 inches.

The male regal jumping spider has an entirely black coloration, which is why they are mistaken as black widows. They also have white spots and stripes along their bodies in the same type of pattern as females. The male regal jumping spiders are smaller than females, but both regal jumping spiders have small bodies with sets of large black eyes that give them a cute appearance.

Female jumping spiders are well-known for their coloration, which consists of orange and gray patterns on their bodies. Regal jumping spiders have fine hairs that cover their entire bodies, and their jaws have a bluish-green iridescent color.

Both male and female regal jumping spiders have three dots on their abdomens that resembles a smiling face.

Habitat: Where To Find Regal Jumping Spiders

Regal jumping spiders can be found in tropical regions, usually in the southeastern United States and in the West Indies. Regal jumping spiders were first found in the West Indies and the United States, but they are mostly found in Florida.

You will find the regal jumping spider in the following places:

• Southeastern United States
• Florida
• West Indies
• Greater Antilles
• Texas
• Bahamas
• South Carolina
• Georgia
• Alabama

The regal jumping spider’s habitat consists of woodlands or fields in the herbaceous zone. The subadult regal jumping spider seems to prefer the semiarid habitats that consist of palmettoes and palms. Regal jumping spiders will construct their webs in trees, shrubs, or similar vegetation. When living close to humans, adult jumping spiders will create a home in wall cracks.

As a pantropical species of jumping spider that prefers a warmer climate, the ideal temperature for a regal jumping spider would be between 80 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit like in their native range of southeast North America. If you keep a regal jumping spider as a pet, you will need to replicate their warm temperatures and ideal climate by keeping the enclosure between 75- and 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

The ideal humidity requirements for this species range from 50% to 60%, which can be achieved through light misting during the day if you keep a regal jumping spider as a pet.

When keeping a regal jumping spider as a pet, their enclosure should closely resemble their natural habitat. An adult regal jumping spider can be kept in an enclosure measuring 6×6×10 inches in size, providing them with enough space to display their normal habits.

If the enclosure is too big, they might have a difficult time finding food.

The enclosure should have more vertical than horizontal room, and the air holes in the enclosure should provide adequate ventilation throughout the enclosure without being big to the point that your regal jumping spider can escape. Warm and humid are good conditions for the regal jumping spider, with plenty of branches and plants for them to create a good webbing.

Diet: What Do Regal Jumping Spiders Eat?

Regal jumping spiders are carnivores and hunters during the night when they will leave their webbing to hunt for food. Insects are the regal jumping spiders’ main prey, such as small crickets or mealworms as a staple food source.

They will only eat between three to four times a week. In the wild, regal jumping spiders will leave their silken nests to look for food, which is found to be common pests on citrus plants and sugarcane, along with flies (Diptera), aphids, and cicadas (Hemiptera), shield bugs, crickets, and locusts (Orthoptera).

Regal jumping spiders are quick to move and will prey upon small insects that they find moving around in their enclosure. Instead of waiting for insects to land on their webbing, regal jumping spiders prefer to hunt their prey, similar to the feeding habits seen in tarantulas.

Regal Jumping Spider Reproduction and Lifespan

Male regal jumping spiders will mate with several subadults to adult female regal jumping spiders before dying. The female regal jumping spiders create a nest made of their silk to lay eggs, generally in tree bark. The first batch of eggs is around 180 to 200 eggs, and the number of eggs declines as the regal jumping spider ages. Female regal jumping spiders will only lay around four batches of eggs during their lifetime.

The lifespan of a regal jumping spider is fairly short, and they typically live no longer than 10 months in the wild. However, in captivity, the regal jumping spider can live between 1 to 2 years of age. They mature and reach adulthood by shedding their exoskeleton (a process known as molting), which is a spider’s way of growing.

Related Animals

• Mouse Spider
• Fishing Spiders
• Wolf Spider

1. University Of Florida Entomology & Nematology, Available here: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/regal_jumping_spider.htm
2. Everything Reptiles, Available here: https://www.everythingreptiles.com/regal-jumping-spider/
3. Wikipedia, Available here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phidippus_regius