Popularly called the two-striped jumping spider because of its overwhelming physical features, the Telamonia Dimidiata is an incredible species of jumping spiders that you’ll likely come across in your backyard.
While this jumping spider has a widespread distribution, it is quite popular in various Asian tropical forests, wooded environments, and foliage. Thanks to its superb physical attributes and size, our leaper friend is easy to identify.
Unlike other jumping spiders, the Telamonia Dimidiata has been trailed by a series of hoaxes over the years, and we will take you through all of that in a bit. But before then, here is all you need to know about their scientific name.
What is their scientific name?
Besides their common name, most jumping spiders have a scientific name associated with them, and this one isn’t any different. While this jumping spider is commonly called the two-striped jumper, its scientific name, Telamonia dimidiata, has trailed it for many years. Most savvy experts will rather call this jumping spider by its scientific name rather than its common name.
Now that you know a thing or two about this jumping spider’s general and scientific name, it’s time we bring you up to speed on some of the hoaxes and misconceptions trailing our spider friend.
Email hoax
A series of email hoaxes had trailed the Telamonia dimidiata since 1999, when it was first claimed that this jumping spider species was a fatal jumping spider lurking under toilets seats, especially in North Florida.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time this will be happening, as there was a similar claim circulated in 1999, with a similar hoax, except that this time it came under the name “South America Bush spider. There were also similar claims in other parts of the world, alleging the same falsity about the Telamonia dimidiata.
These false claims have been overwhelmingly shared and have made their way to popular social media platforms like Facebook, followed by the arachnid picture. Some of the posts come with serious warnings, urging everyone to take precautions against the spider.
These false hoaxes have since spread to popular social media platforms, including Twitter, Tumblr, and more, since 2012. Unfortunately, we had stumbled on the same hoax on Whatsapp again in 2018 and on Facebook in 2019.
That said, we can authoritatively tell you that no such events happened, and the rumours are considered an urban legend.
Physical features and size
The Telamonia dimidiata is an intelligent species of jumping spider with so much going on in terms of physical description and size. To start with, our spider friends are medium-sized jumping spiders with an average body length of 10 to 12 mm. While adult females of this jumping spider species are slightly bigger than their male counterparts as they measure approximately 9 to 11 mm, males measure between 8 to 9 mm.
Besides their body size, adult females appear somewhat light yellowish. Plus, they feature a distinct white cephalus, coupled with red rings surrounding the narrow black rings that appear around their eyes.
On their opisthosoma, you’ll notice two very distinct longitudinal bright red stripes. On the other hand, adult males of this jumping spider species appear very dark and feature some white markings and a couple of red hairs around their eyes.
And just like humans, T. dimidiata doesn’t produce any form of harmful toxins. And except they feel threatened or spot danger, they always maintain their cool.
Where are they from?
Like we mentioned right from the get-go, Telamonia dimidiata has a widespread distribution, which explains why they are spotted in almost all countries. That said, our spider friends are native to Asia and have a huge presence in Indonesia, Iran, Singapore, Pakistan, India and Bhutan.
Outside Asia, our spider friends have also been sighted in the US, especially across Florida and Texas, where there have been many misconceptions about the Telamonia dimidiata. Recent reports suggest that the two-stripped jumping spider has a large population in Europe and Africa.
As per their preferred habitat, you’ll commonly find our leaper friends in tropical forests, areas with dense vegetations and foliage. So the big question is, what do our spider friends eat? Well, read on as we will show you their prefered diet shortly.
Diet/food
The Telamonia dimidiata is an active hunter with impressive vision and jumping skills that come alive when hunting. In the wild, our leaper friends can effectively fend for themselves. Using their excellent vision, the Telamonia dimidiata will stalk their prey, lure them close and pounce on them using their trusty jumping skills.
While they have a knack for small insects like mosquitoes, ants, aphids, crickets, flies and more, they will also feed on other smaller spiders. When they aren’t hunting down prey, their superb jumping skills allow them to evade predators and any perceived danger.
What is their temperament?
Even though a series of misconceptions and hoaxes have trailed the Telamonia dimidiata, we are happy to inform you that this jumping spider species is super friendly, just like other jumping spiders we have encountered.
Yes, they may act aggressively towards prey, but they tend to maintain their cool when they come across humans. And because of their calm and collected nature, coupled with their physical attributes, many spider enthusiasts won’t mind keeping them as pets.
Is it dangerous and venomous to humans?
While there are rumours that this jumping spider is very deadly, we have discovered that this isn’t true. Though their venom is strong enough to knock out prey, it isn’t harmful to humans.
Frequently asked questions
Can Telamonia dimidiata kill humans?
Although this jumping spider has potent venom that can knock out prey almost instantly, its venom isn’t harmful to humans. And except it feels threatened, it rarely bites.
Should you be worried about their bite?
While a bite from our spider friend can be a bit painful, you’ll only experience mild irritations and redness that subsides after a couple of days. So no, you don’t need to worry about getting bitten by the Telamonia dimidiata.
What is their lifespan?
Jumping spiders have a pretty short lifespan, so we don’t expect the Telamonia dimidiata to live any longer. To be precise, our furry friends can live for up six months to one year.
