Bronze Jumping Spider (Eris militaris)
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The Bronze Jumping Spider is one of the more common species encountered in the Garden. Although it is, like many jumping spiders, quite small, the color of the male certainly takes on a bronze tint in the right light (above). Females have different markings and are larger, especially just before they lay eggs (below).
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Although jumping spiders do not make webs in order to snare prey, they do produce silk for other reasons. Most are active by day and create a small silken retreat, much like a sleeping bag, in which they hide while resting. Jumping spiders also use silk as a safety line when they are trying to span long distances and may miss, or even as preliminary line that they allow to catch in the wind until it reaches, and sticks to, some other surface.
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Spiders cannot "shoot" the silk out of their spinnerets, but they can release it and allow the wind to pull it. They might even manipulate it to get it out into a breeze, as shown below. Bronze jumpers are frequently seen using silk to help them negotiate between branches.
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class: Arachnida / order: Araneae / family: Salticidae / genus: Eris / species: militaris
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