About Colonus puerperus (Hentz, 1846)
Colonus puerperus is a species of jumping spider that is commonly found in the eastern United States. Its geographic range extends along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, and reaches north to Kansas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. This species is typically found in grassy areas during the warmer months of the year. Adult females of the species measure between 7 and 11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) in length, while adult males measure between 5 and 7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) in length. The specific epithet puerperus comes from Latin, meaning "just having given birth"; this term combines the Latin word puer, meaning child, with pario, meaning give birth. Colonus puerperus is one of the jumping spider species that can jump the farthest distances, if not the farthest jumping species of jumping spiders. The maximum horizontal jump distance recorded for a 6.2 mm long male individual measured 23 cm. This means C. puerperus is capable of jumping a horizontal distance up to 38 times its own body length.
