Eight-legged freaks of California and beyond

Here's the bold jumping spider in action, © Peter J. Bryant.

One thing I didn't see much of in the Bay Area that I do now that I've relocated to the Central Valley is lots of interesting-looking spiders.

At the doorway of my house in Merced is a frisky little fellow of genus and species Phidippus audax (family Salticidae), a.k.a. the bold jumper or bold jumping spider.

He's a furry, black and white arachnid that I noticed on closer inspection has two large, matte metallic, jade-colored spots on his face called chelicerae, actually part of his fangs.

The critter, about the size of a dime, is described as common to North America, but this was the first one I've ever seen. 

As I approached him and tried to steer him toward me with my baseball cap for a better look, he reared up on his hind legs to ward off the rude observer with his airborne front paws.

A fine image of this pose and other close-up shots of the bold jumper are on a site hosted by UC Irvine, as sampled here.

For more on this biting subject, visit my relevant San Jose Culture Examiner post.

I know, I know, this isn't really a fit for San Jose journalistic terrain, but that's what happens when you up and move to a place without an Examiner edition -- yet. Stay tuned for a Fresno site, y'all!