Phintella vittata - The Golden Jumping Spider

I have been seeing a few tiny Golden Jumping Spiders on the leaves of the creepers in my garden for quite some time now and decided to photograph them. These tiny creatures would have missed my attention if it hadn't been for their very bright golden colour which is visible even from a distance. A few millimetres in size ( the largest being 4 millimetres), these spiders jump in a flash disappearing into the foliage. This tiny spider is also known by its scientific name, Phintella vittata or Banded Phintella.

The Banded Phintella or, as I would call it, the Jumping Golden Spider is a very shy species of the Spider family and although it stays mostly hidden under leaves, it does come up topside, probably to gather some heat from the sun. It is also very sensitive to light and reacted sharply to the flash of my camera. These spiders I later came to know can detect ultraviolet light which they use to reflect with their body surface. Males reflect this UV light to create a golden colour meant to attract female mates.

The Banded Phintalla is a very distinct species of the spider family and in spite of its rather tiny size, it can not be missed by those who are looking for something as flashy as gold on the leaves of creepers and plants. The golden colour is not as visible in photographs as with the naked eyes, especially as it is drowned out by the flash. This suggests that the intense golden colour is the result of the way  UV light is reflected off the tiny hair that covers its body. Whatever might be the case, I cannot help argue that the Golden Jumping Spider is one of the most beautiful of the spider species.