Platycryptus undatus Photography II by Kozmic Dreams

My Photography of

Platycryptus undatus

Jumping Spiders

2012 -

Spider 6, "Rose"

September 2022 - December 16, 2023

I haven't photographed any spiders of this species in almost 6 1/2 years. I actually found Rose in the house in late September 2022, but I didn't photograph her until a year later on 9-16-23. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't have a single photo of a spider I've taken care of for so long. She died 12-16-23, and most likely lived the longest of any spiders I've ever had---my estimate is that she was nearly 2 years old. When I found her, I originally planned to keep her safe in a cage over the winter and release her the following spring. However, she wasn't getting around very well and couldn't hold onto surfaces well. She never shed a single skin. Apparently, she'd already done all her molting and was much older than I thought. So I decided not to release her. She became very accustomed to being removed from her cage and being placed in a different container with prey, which is how I often fed her, especially if the insect could escape her regular terrarium. She really surprised me over the summer, when about 10-15 spiderlings hatched out of a sac hidden in the crumpled paper toweling in her cage. She sure carried those fertilized eggs a long time before laying them! It sure was a good thing I didn't just throw that paper towel out when I was cleaning her cage. I released the spiderlings outside right after I found them. While it would have been nice to obtain photos of their development, I didn't have the time, and also hoped they'd be more successful in the wild. The ones I tried to rear in 2010 suffered due to my use of a commercially-produced fruit fly medium, which I didn't understand contained a mold inhibitor that although fruit flies could eat it and survive, these spiders could not. Without fruit flies raised on natural medium, I would never even attempt to raise Platycryptus spiderlings---they are just too sensitive to chemicals.

Below, she is photographed on cosmos, goldenrod and matboard.

Spider 5

4-10-17

I found this guy on my front porch, photographed him, and released him. He is photographed on a circuitboard, one of my woodburned cypress knees, and one of Grandma Mickey's orchids that bloomed for the first time since she died.

Spider 4

5-14-15

I kept this male spider in a cage over the winter because I found it in the house and wanted to make sure it stayed safe until spring. It is photographed on one of my woodburned cypress knees.

Spider 3

5-14-15

I kept this male spider in a cage over the winter because I found it in the house and wanted to make sure it stayed safe until spring. It is photographed on one of my woodburned cypress knees. Apologies for the dusty photos---I didn't realize the sensor needed cleaning.

5-28-15

Here he is photographed on a horned melon (kiwano).

Spider 2

9-18-14

This male was wandering around my house. I decided to photograph him and release him on a safer window ledge near some houseplants. I'm not sure if he's the same as either of the two photographed above.