 = Zygoballus sexpunctatus = 
 
 Zygoballus sexpunctatus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the southeastern United States where it can be found in a variety of grassy habitats . Adult spiders measure between 3 and 4 @.@ 5 mm in length . The cephalothorax and abdomen are bronze to black in color , with reddish brown or yellowish legs . The male has distinctive enlarged chelicerae ( the mouthparts used for grasping prey ) and front femora ( the third , and typically largest , leg segments ) . Like many jumping spiders , Z. sexpunctatus males exhibit ritualized courtship and agonistic behavior . 
 
 = = Etymology = = 
 
 The specific name is derived from the Latin sex meaning " six " and punctum meaning " spot " . This is a reference to the six spots typically occurring on the abdomen of the male . 
 
 = = History and taxonomy = = 
 
 The species was first described by entomologist Nicholas Marcellus Hentz in 1845 in the Boston Journal of Natural History . Hentz named the species Attus sexpunctatus and described it as follows : 
 " Black ; cephalothorax with the two posterior eyes near the base , which is wide and suddenly inclined at nearly a right angle with the upper surface , cheliceres with a strong inner tooth , and a long , curved fang ; abdomen with six dots , and a line in front , white ; feet , 1 . 4 . 2 . 3 . , first pair with enlarged thighs and quite long . " 
 Hentz classified A. sexpunctatus in the subgeneric group Pugnatoriae , which consisted of jumping spiders whose first pair of legs were the longest , followed by the fourth pair . Later entomologists abandoned this classification , which Hentz himself admitted was " somewhat artificial " . In 1888 , with the recognition of Zygoballus as an independent genus , American arachnologists George and Elizabeth Peckham renamed the spider Zygoballus sexpunctatus . Specimens of Z. sexpunctatus are housed at the Museum of Comparative Zoology , the British Museum , the Milwaukee Public Museum , the American Museum of Natural History , and the Muséum National d 'Histoire Naturelle . No type specimens are known . 
 The genus Zygoballus contains approximately twenty species distributed from the United States to Argentina . Zygoballus is classified in the subfamily Dendryphantinae of the family Salticidae ( jumping spiders ) . 
 
 = = Description = = 
 
 According to arachnologist B. J. Kaston , adult females are 3 @.@ 5 to 4 @.@ 5 mm in body length , while males are 3 to 3 @.@ 5 mm . The Peckhams ' earlier description , however , gives a length of 3 mm for females and 3 to 4 @.@ 5 mm for males . 
 The cephalothorax of Z. sexpunctatus is bronze to black in color . Like all Zygoballus spiders , the cephalothorax is box @-@ like in shape , being widest at the posterior lateral eyes . Numerous white or pale blue scales cover the clypeus ( " face " ) and chelicerae . This covering extends around the sides of the carapace , ending beyond the posterior median eyes . In males , the labium is two @-@ fifths as long as the maxillae , and as wide as it is long . The chelicerae of males are greatly enlarged and obliquely oriented , with each chelicera having a prominent inner tooth and a long , curved fang . 
 The legs are reddish brown , or sometimes yellowish , with the femora of the anterior ( first ) pair being darker and enlarged , especially in the male . The anterior legs have three pairs of long spines on the ventral surface of the tibia and two pairs of spines on the metatarsus . The Peckhams give the following measurements for the lengths of the legs of a male specimen , starting with the anterior pair : 3 @.@ 7 mm , 2 @.@ 2 mm , 2 mm , 3 mm . In females , the fourth pair of legs are the longest . The pedipalp in the male has a single tibial apophysis which tapers gradually . 
 The abdomen is bronze to black with a white basal band and two white transverse bands . The transverse bands are often broken to form six spots . Some or all of these spots may be lacking , however . 
 Zygoballus sexpunctatus is similar in appearance to Zygoballus rufipes , with whom its range overlaps . The male can be distinguished from Z. rufipes by the large spot of white scales at the beginning of the thoracic slope ( which is lacking in Z. rufipes ) , and by the longitudinal division present on the bulb of the pedipalp ( Z. rufipes has a transverse division ) . The female can best be distinguished by the form of the epigyne ( the external genital structure ) . 
 
 = = Habitat and distribution = = 
 
 The range of the species extends from New Jersey to Florida and west to Texas , although it is most commonly found in the southern states . Hentz collected his original specimen in North Carolina . In 1909 , the Peckhams reported that the species had been collected from North Carolina , Florida , Texas , Louisiana , and Mississippi . A seven @-@ year survey of spider species in western Mississippi reported the abundance of Z. sexpunctatus as " uncommon " . A one @-@ year survey in Alachua County , Florida , reported the species as " rare " . 
 Specimens have been collected from several ecosystems , including old fields , river terrace forests , flatwoods , Florida Sand Pine scrub , Slash Pine forests , Appalachian grass balds , and rice fields . Robert and Betty Barnes reported the species as occurring in broomsedge fields throughout the southeastern Piedmont . The species is typically found in the herb stratum ( among grasses and other short plants ) and may be collected with a sweep net . 
 
 = = Behavior = = 
 
 Male Zygoballus sexpunctatus spiders are known to exhibit elaborate courtship displays . As a male approaches a female , it will typically raise and spread its first pair of legs and vibrate its abdomen . If the female is receptive , it will often vibrate its abdomen as well . The specific patterns of courtship behavior , however , vary between individuals . 
 Z. sexpunctatus males exhibit ritualized agonistic behavior when encountering other males of the same species . This behavior may include many of the same elements as courtship , such as raising and spreading the first pair of legs and vibrating the abdomen . During agonistic display , males will also extend their pedipalps and fangs . Lethal attacks between males appear to be rare , however . 
 
 = = Diet and ecology = = 
 
 Like most spiders , Zygoballus sexpunctatus is an opportunistic feeder , feeding on a wide range of invertebrate prey . The spider 's diet typically includes small insects such as aphids and young caterpillars . They have also been known to eat mosquitoes and numerous kinds of small spiders . 
 Mud dauber wasps , which capture and paralyze spiders as a source of food for their larvae , have been shown to prey on both male and female Z. sexpunctatus spiders . 
 
 = = Life cycle = = 
 
 In a study of spider populations in western Tennessee , Zygoballus sexpunctatus spiderlings were reported to hatch from egg sacs in mid summer . The spiders hibernated through the winter in an immature form and reached sexual maturity around late April . 
 
 