Adults can reach about 7–22 mm, with females generally larger.
Fine-art photographic collection
Phidippus regius
A large visual hunter that learns shapes and calculates different jumping solutions before take-off.
About this species
Regal Jumping Spider
Phidippus regiusC. L. Koch, 1846
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Phidippus regius is the largest jumping spider in eastern North America. It stalks prey using acute vision, anchors a safety line before leaping and retreats into a silken shelter to rest or lay eggs.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Araneae · Salticidae · Phidippus
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
the southeastern United States, the Bahamas and the Greater AntillesBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
the southeastern United States, the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles
Palmetto scrub, woodland edge, gardens and buildings in warm climates.
Diurnal visual hunter.
Insects and other arthropods, including prey approaching its own size.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
Laboratory spiders learned to distinguish an X from an O when one symbol predicted sugar water and the other an unpleasant acidic solution.
High-speed experiments show that it changes launch angle and trajectory with gap length, favouring fast low arcs for shorter jumps.
It is the largest jumping spider in eastern North America, yet still relies on a silk safety line attached before each major leap.
More photographs
15