These beautiful spiders are definitely one of Montana’s most colorful jumping spiders. Both sexes have a bright red abdomen, black cephalothorax, and iridescent green chelicerae. The male’s abdomen is entirely red, whereas the female’s abdomen has a black mark down the center (often some yellow or tan as they grow to adulthood). They are one of the largest jumping spiders in western North America and are found from Texas and the Rocky Mountain states to the Pacific Coast.
Size: Body length 9 mm—14 mm
Photo by: Glenn Marangelo on 5/22/22 near Missoula, MT