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Riddle of the St. Andrew's Cross Queen of Spinners |
The Jumping SpiderThe remarkable little jumping spiders (Attidae) are exceptionally fascinating. Large-eyed, they possess the keenest vision in the spider world, and secure their prey by creeping stealthily toward it, , like a cat stalking a mouse, until, with amazing swiftness and precision, they hurl themselves upon it in a relatively prodigious leap. It is rarely, in-deed, that they miss their mark. But, it is in their courtship that the amazing. behaviour of these spiders is fully revealed. The male and female execute a formal dance, the male being the most active .partner. The female usually watches intently every movement, until in the closing figures she joins him, often in a frenzied pas de deux. In some species the female plays a more active part, and follows her partner almost step by step throughout the complicated figures of the dance, although her actions are possibly more restrained. The face, palps, and the first or second pair of legs in the male are often decorated with white or yellow brushes of long hair, or with iridescent areas. In his posturing before his prospective mate he displays these to their fullest advantage, as though well aware of their decorative value. Unfortunately, the study of Australian jumping spiders has been sadly neglected.
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