This adult female jumping spider (Phidippus princeps) from Greenville County, South Carolina, was filmed as it fed upon a captured fly. Note how this spider chewed its prey with its fanged chelicerae. The sharp-edged fangs are opposed by teeth at the end of the chelicerae. Chewing (maceration) alternated with suction (feeding) as well as regurgitation of digestive fluids into the prey.
As shown in this series of clips of several adult female Phidippus princeps (Salticidae, from Greenville County, South Carolina, USA), jumping spiders make frequent "facing turns" directed toward moving objects, or toward any objects that they subsequently survey with their large, foveal front eyes (anterior medial, or primary eyes. Note how these spiders move their pedipalps up and down frequently ("flickering" or "flashing" movements). The purposes of pedipalpal movement is not known for certain, but may include both display and chemical sampling of the surface. This display may actually stimulate the movement of nearby insects, and thus their detection by these spiders. Frequent turns and pedipalpal movement are characteristic behaviors of jumping spiders. Several clips also depict jumps.
The four clips shown here (in sequence) depict an adult female jumping spider (Phidippus princeps, Araneae, Salticidae) from Greenville County, South Carolina, USA, feeding on a male mosquito (Diptera, Culicidae). Most of the complete sequence of feeding is shown. Soft-bodied prey like this are thoroughly macerated with the chelicerae. Note the use of the two front pairs of legs (legs I and II) to manipulate the prey during feeding. [I highly recommend the AVI codec used to process this video (Microsoft MPEG 4 Video CODEC V3)]
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