Matthew Reed wrote:
I'd agree with the "jumping spider" description. How big was this one?
There is a common species Phidippus audax commonly called the "daring
jumping spider" (sounds like a phrase from a movie trailer) that is found
throughout most of N.A. These spiders get up to 15mm for females with
males being just a little smaller.

As for being good in a garden I think that every sort of spider is good in
a garden, even black widows and brown recluses although having many of
those around would make one more careful about reaching blindly into a
tomato plant feeling for ripe ones. I figure that spiders eat insects and
many insects eat plants therefore the more spiders the better.


I spent 15 years in Vegas in a neighborhood with black widow infestations.
They don't like gardens, but prefer dry undisturbed corners and enclosed,
sheltered locations. I think it's the moisture they avoid, as well as the
constant motion of wind and people watering and working around the plants.
I've opened kitchen cupboards and found a large one built a nest overnight.
I've reached into a bag of flour to find one had crawled in and setup a
nest. I came too close to being bit that time. If you know what to look for,
you will see these webs along sidewalks, in corners, just about everywhere
you look. But I rarely saw one in my garden, a black widow would not build a
nest in a tomato plant. The exception might be if it's a large plant
sprawled on the ground. Black Widows are nocturnal, and prefer dark places
for webs, another reason you might not see many of them in the garden. There
are a few spiders that should be killed on sight, and the black widow is one
of them. This spider has no place in home or garden.

/soapbox

This particular specimen was about 3/8 of an inch long, and rather pretty.
Very unusual looking. Very short legs, and highly mobile. It would actually
move to look at me as I moved my head around to get a good look.



I, too lived in Clark County for some time and know a bit about living
around black widows. They didn't bother me terribly as long as they were
outside but they did freak my wife out no matter where they were so any
time she saw one it became my duty to kill it.

There are a few of them around this area but not in numbers like LV. I
had one living just outside my bathroom window and I spent an entire
summer watching her go about regular life, catching prey, and raising
some spiderlings. But like I said, as long as they are outside and in a
known location I still go by "live and let live".

I had a small jumping spider which took up residence in/on/around the
exterior keypad for my garage door. And we got to know each other pretty
well and (s)he got to the point where I was trusted to put a small
stunned fly on the top of the keypad and occasionally the spider would
grab it before it recovered and flew or fell off. The spider could also
be counted upon to put up its front legs in a boxing stance if I waved
my finger in front of its face. Jumping spiders are supposed to have
very good vision and I'm convinced that this one eventually came to
recognize me on sight.

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com