For Anyone Interested in the Wildlife of the U.K.
Jumping Spiders
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Scientific name: Heliophanus cupreus
Size: Head and body 4 to 6mm long
Distribution: Found throughout the UK
Months seen: May to September
Habitat: Low vegetation in many different habitats (gardens, parks, hedgerows and coastal cliffs etc.)
Food: Flies and other small insects
Special features: Jumping Spiders get their name from the the way they catch their prey by jumping on it rather than building a web to trap it. The scientific name 'cupreus' literally means 'coppery', and refers to the metallic sheen on their black bodies which glistens like copper in bright sunlight.
The legs of these spiders are a yellowish-brown with black streaks along the front and back of each leg. The palps are also yellowish-brown. The abdomen has a distinctive line of white hairs along its front edge and there may be two or more spots of white hairs on the top.
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