Portal:Arthropods/Selected article/31
Maevia inclemens is a relatively common and colourful jumping spider found in North America. Males exist in two forms – a "tufted" morph with a black body and pedipalps, three black tufts across its head, and pale legs, and a "grey" morph with black and white stripes on the body and legs, orange palps, and no tufts. The two forms also use different courting displays. Each form accounts for 50% of the adult males, and they are equally successful in mating. Females of Maevia inclemens are 6.5 to 8.0 millimetres (0.26 to 0.31 in) long, while males are 4.75 to 6.5 millimetres (0.19 to 0.26 in) long.
M. inclemens is one of 11 species in genus Maevia. It was originally called Attus inclemens, and other names have been used. The two male forms look and behave so differently that they were originally considered two distinct species. The species is found in southwestern Canada and its distribution in the United States forms a crescent from the northern Midwest through New England and south to Florida. M. inclemens has been able to establish itself in man-made structures such as outbuildings or fences. (Full article...)