About Phidippus johnsoni (G.W.Peckham & E.G.Peckham, 1883)
Scientific name: Phidippus johnsoni (G.W.Peckham & E.G.Peckham, 1883)
Description: Adult Phidippus johnsoni typically reach around one centimeter in length. Both males and females have a bright red abdomen, while females have an extra black central stripe on this abdomen. The chelicerae of both sexes are a shiny teal color, and the rest of the body is mostly black. This jumping spider is one of the species that mimics mutillid wasps from the genus Dasymutilla, commonly called "velvet ants". Multiple Dasymutilla wasp species match this spider in size and coloration, and these wasps have a very painful sting.
Distribution: The range of P. johnsoni is bordered by the Great Plains, the Pacific Ocean, northern Mexico, and southern Canada. This species can be found from sea level up to tree line, and lives in relatively dry habitats including coastal dunes and oak woodlands. A 1976 study recorded populations of between two and thirty redback jumping spiders per 1,000 square meters. In 2012, NASA launched an individual of this species into space.
