Habronattus agilis (Banks, 1893) - Jumping Spider

The genus Habronattus comprises a diverse group of mainly North American jumping spiders. Habronattus males are known for their elaborate visual displays including the extension and waving of their fringed front legs. Less obvious are complimentary auditory displays used by some species to "serenade" the females. The acoustic characteristics and mechanism for sound production was first described and investigated using males of the agilis group. While normally outside the range of human hearing, rapid abdominal movements (see video) indicate the male is using his sound producing mechanism that is located between his carapace and abdomen. The spiders in this genus are largely terrestrial and the Habronattus agilis jumpers seen here (in part) occupy a sandy coastal area vegetated in part by prickly pear cactus. H. agilis males take advatage of these low growing plants for cover and for foraging but also as a stage for territorial and mating displays. Griswold, 1987; Maddison and Stratton, 1988; Elias Lab