Bold jumping spider
This spider hunts by sight rather than by web, and its large forward-facing eyes let it judge distance well enough to leap several body lengths onto prey.
| Where | Grasslands, gardens and building walls |
|---|---|
| Size | Female 8 to 15 mm, male 6 to 13 mm body length |
| When | March to November |
The Bold jumping spider is a compact, glossy black spider with a bold white or orange triangular spot at the center of its abdomen, usually flanked by two smaller spots behind it. Its large front eyes and short, thick legs are typical of the jumping spider family, and its chelicerae can show an iridescent green or blue sheen in good light.
It stalks small insects across open ground, low plants and building walls by day, creeping close before leaping onto prey rather than trapping it in a web. Individuals overwinter as immature spiders inside a silken shelter and reach adulthood the following spring.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Black, White
Active
Day
To people
This spider bites only rarely, usually when pinned or squeezed, and the venom is not considered dangerous to people, causing at most brief local pain and a small welt.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Red or orange stripes or rows of spots along the sides of a black abdomen, rather than the single white or orange triangular patch centered on the Bold jumping spider's abdomen.
Questions
Is the Bold jumping spider dangerous to people?
This spider bites only rarely, usually when pinned or squeezed, and the venom is not considered dangerous to people, causing at most brief local pain and a small welt.
When can you see the Bold jumping spider?
The Bold jumping spider can be seen from March to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Rodolfo Salinas Villarreal, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Spiders›Jumping spiders›Phidippus
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.