Platycryptus
Californicus vs.
Cheiracanthium (three photos)

What is this bundle of legs? Ahhh, a battle to the finish with a fast
running spider
and a jumping spider. Very interesting. The story unfolds...

As usual, I checked the front porch for insects and found this
Platycryptus californicus (in the grey stripes)
wrestling a Cheiracanthium (Yellow Sac Spider)
that I think he had just plucked from a mini web where the sac
spider was waiting to molt (I had seen him there earlier). Well,
there was no doubt the jumping spider was
winning this match. HOWEVER, I looked out a few minutes later and
there was a new competitor who had
just arrived on the scene--the almighty Phidippus audax jumpng spider...

This young black male (check out those glowing fangs) was moving in for
a closer look and then spied me with my camera. I think I
intimidated
him after a few shots because when I came out again for more pictures,
he had fled the scene. I wish he would have stayed so I could
witness
who was the toughest among these three spiders. The Platycryptus
was unusually large and this Phidippus was a young male so there
wasn't much size difference. The Cheiracanthium was small, except for
the long legs, and maybe if he hadn't been molting, he
could have put up a better fight; but, I had to declare the
Platycryptus californicus the champion. © Carol Davis,
5-23-2009
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