About Talavera aequipes (O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1871)
Talavera aequipes, formally named Talavera aequipes (O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1871), is a small species of jumping spider native to Eurasia. This species is extremely difficult to distinguish from multiple very closely related similar species, but it is the most common of these similar species in Central Europe. Talavera aequipes is small enough to comfortably overwinter inside snail shells as small as 5 mm in length, and it also lays its eggs inside these snail shells. Occasionally, a single larger snail shell is shared by Talavera aequipes and Pellenes tripunctatus: T. aequipes resides deep inside the shell, while P. tripunctatus occupies the larger outer opening of the shell. This species has a wide distribution across Europe, and its range extends east as far as Eastern Siberia. It inhabits dry meadows for most of its life cycle.
