Kingdom Animalia Class Arachnida Family Salticidae Genus Heliophanus Order Spider | Subphylum Chelicerata Infraorder Araneomorphae Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | |
Similar Heliophanus, Heliophanus flavipes, Ballus chalybeius, Evarcha falcata, Euophrys frontalis | ||
Heliophanus cupreus m le salticidae
Heliophanus cupreus, the copper sun jumper, is a species of jumping spider belonging to the family Salticidae.
Contents
Heliophanus cupreus salticidae heliophaninae
Description
Heliophanus cupreus is a dark, blackish spider, with a metallic sheen. On the female the palps are light brown and contrast with her overall appearance. The male has dark palps with white squamose hairs on front. The tibial apophysis has a fine, long, pointed, hook-shaped process. The male has a long palpal bulb. The cephalothorax is black with a metallic sheen and has white hairs, towards the front bright and on some individuals there are 1-2 bright pairs of spots to the rear. Legs light yellow, with black longitudinal stripes. although some individuals may have uniformly dark legs. The opisthosoma is grey-black, again with a metallic sheen and white hairs.
The respective body lengths of the sexes are males 3.6-4 mm, females 4.6-5.8 mm.
Habitat and ecology
Heliophanus cupreus has been collected from a wide variety of habitat types such as woodlands, grasslands, raised bogs, coastal cliffs and shingle beaches, as well as disturbed habitats such as wastelands and quarries. Within its varied habitats, Heliophanus cupreusis commonly encountered in the drier locations. It is occasionally observed to be active on the surface but is more commonly found within the litter. In northern Great Britain Heliophanus cupreus seems to require sunny conditions. When resting, Heliophanus cupreus may be found in a silken cell placed either under stones or within the litter. The adults of both sexes are found mainly in May, June and July and females may persist into the autumn.
Distribution
Heliophanus cupreus has a Palearctic distribution, being found throughout Europe except Iceland. In Great Britain it has a scattered distribution as far north as central Scotland where it is normally a coastal species.
