# Colonus Hesperus

Colonus hesperus, commonly known as the western colonus jumping spider, is a small, charismatic member of the jumping spider family Salticidae native to North America. Known for their curiosity and active, daytime hunting strategies, these spiders do not spin webs to catch prey but instead rely on their outstanding vision and remarkable leaping ability. They are frequently observed exploring foliage, low vegetation, and sunny surfaces in search of small insects. With their highly expressive, large forward-facing eyes, they possess a level of situational awareness that often makes them appear to watch human observers, a trait that makes them highly endearing to nature enthusiasts and arachnologists alike.

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 2
- **Habitat:** Typically found in open grassy fields, oak woodlands, gardens, and low-lying shrubs across the western United States and Mexico.

![Colonus Hesperus](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/184162935/medium.jpg)

Photo: Don Loarie, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/184162935)

## Appearance

This minute spider typically measures between 5 to 10 millimeters in length, featuring a compact, athletic body characteristic of jumping spiders. Its coloration is generally a mixture of tan, pale yellow, and brown, with distinct darker markings or stripes on the abdomen and a somewhat pale or translucent appearance on its legs. Females are typically larger and more robustly built, while males often exhibit more pronounced coloration and longer front legs used in courtship displays. The most prominent identification feature is their arrangement of eight eyes, with the two central anterior eyes being exceptionally large, giving them an inquisitive, headlight-like appearance.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Arachnida
- **Order:** Araneae
- **Family:** Salticidae
- **Genus:** Colonus

## Interesting facts

- Male jumping spiders perform complex dances, waving their pedipalps and front legs, to convince females they are mates rather than a potential meal.
- They possess a unique retina-shifting ability where they can move their inner eyes to track objects without moving their external lens or head.
- Unlike web-building spiders, Colonus hesperus relies on its incredible 360-degree vision to track and stalk prey from several inches away.

## Special abilities

- **Hydraulic Jump Propulsion:** By suddenly increasing the fluid pressure in their legs, they can leap up to 40 times their body length without needing muscular legs.
- **High Resolution Vision:** Their massive primary eyes function like telephoto lenses, providing exceptional spatial resolution and color vision to track prey.
- **Safety Line Silk:** Before attempting any leap, they anchor a dragline of silk to their starting point, ensuring they can climb back up if they miss.

## Diet & Feeding

An active predator that hunts small insects and other spiders by stalking them closely before executing a precise leap.

- **Age differences:** Spiderlings feed on smaller soft-bodied insects like fruit flies, graduating to larger insects as they mature.
- **Primary Foods:** Fruit flies, Aphids, Leafhoppers, Small caterpillars, Gnats
- **Foraging Method:** Pursuit

## Ecological connections

- **Hunts:** Green Peach Aphid (*Myzus persicae*) — Preys upon common agricultural pests found in the same foliage.
- **Eaten by:** Black and Yellow Mud Dauber (*Sceliphron caementarium*) — A frequent predator of small jumping spiders, hunting them around vegetation.
- **Competitor:** [Bold Jumping Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bold-jumping-spider) (*Phidippus audax*) — Competes for the same small insect prey in grassland habitats.

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Colonus Hesperus?

Compare body proportions, leg shape, abdomen markings and the web, if there is one. Eye arrangement can be decisive but rarely shows up in a casual phone photo. A web is a supporting clue, not proof of who built it. Spider Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### What does Colonus Hesperus eat?

An active predator that hunts small insects and other spiders by stalking them closely before executing a precise leap.

### Where is Colonus Hesperus usually found?

Typically found in open grassy fields, oak woodlands, gardens, and low-lying shrubs across the western United States and Mexico.

### How does Colonus Hesperus hunt?

Pursuit

## Where to spot

- [Rio Grande Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rio-grande-botanic-garden-new-mexico) — New Mexico, US · Zoo
- [Micke Grove Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/micke-grove-zoo) — California, US · Zoo

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

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Source: [Colonus Hesperus: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/colonus-hesperus)