Jumping Spider Coloration

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Jumping spiders are one of the most diverse organisms on the planet and are renowned for their visual systems and the elaborate, often gaudy coloration patterns of males. Jumping spider eye sight is estimated to be as good as cats, a remarkable feat considering that the diameter of the typical jumping spider eye is 0.5mm. Jumping spider visual systems and their behaviors are unique in the animal kingdom. Although these spiders have received attention by naturalists for centuries, conducting research on their coloration patterns has severely lagged, primarily due to their small size.

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The Elias lab at UC Berkeley is primarily interested in the evolution of communication, and color patches can reveal much about how animals communicate with each other. Typical methods of measuring and quantifying color have been impossible to use for small animals like spiders, until now. Hyperspectral imaging will, for the first time ever, allow a detailed analysis of coloration patterns and their role in mating, foraging, and the evolution of spiders. Using a Surface Optics hyperspectral imager, the Elias Lab can precisely quantify how factors like an animal’s diet or foraging habits affect the evolution of male-specific color patterns. This type of research will help to elucidate the function of colorful ornaments used in mating behavior, and will expand our understanding of how animal coloration used in courtship behavior can drive species evolution.