Cute Jumper

Yesterday's blip was tough for a lot of you and I can understand that. Too close to the edge, a subject that you would prefer to sweep under the carpet and pretend that it does not happen. But, like all the abominable crimes, unless they are brought out into the open and confronted, they will continue to fester our society. Perhaps blip was not the place, but the discussion fitted my image for the day.

After the ugliness of yesterday, I was determined to find something cute for you today, perhaps a nice colorful butterfly. That didn't happen, but this tiny 7mm spider stepped in to substitute.

Identification - Cosmophasis sp.

I have four or more of this type of jumping spider and have not been able to attach an ID to any of them. There are subtle differences between what I am seeing and the published images. The pattern differences although subtle, are consistent and enough to warrant a separate species label. I have no idea if this has been done or not. I will just continue to collect images of as many as possible, from a variety of angles.

Some of my collection may be male and female, but I cannot even make this determination. The blipped spider looks like a male, but its abdomen is quite swollen, like it is full of eggs. I need to find a mating pair, but these spiders are so difficult to find, I certainly don't see them every day.

Dave