Their often small size and frequent variation in markings, do make them a little tricky to identify, but several species are very distinctive and easy to determine. This page includes photographs of some of the more commoner Nottinghamshire species we have photographed to date.

As with many invertebrates, it's also possible not to have to leave home to find at least one species of jumping spider, with the commonly known Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus) being present on walls and fences of most houses and buildings on warm, sunny days.

Salticidae spiders are renowned for their acute eyesight, with four sets of eyes including the anterior medians (1) the anterior laterals (2) the posterior medians (3) and finally the posterior laterals (4). The anterior median eyes of Salticidae spiders, are actually capable of more degrees of movement than human eyes, are able to focus and have binocular vision. They can probably also detect colour, as the males of some species (notably Euophrys frontalis in Nottinghamshire) use colour and markings in their courtship of the female. Two pairs of eyes towards the rear and on top of the head, pick up movement and the spider turns to have a better look using the anterior median eyes. The position of all eight eyes, enables Salticidae spiders to have 360 degree vision.

They are excellent hunters and they can take prey virtually their own size quite easily, as illustrated by the Salticus scenicus capturing the juvenile Amaurobius fenestralis in the photograph below.

Salticidae in Nottinghamshire and the UK

The UK has records of 36 species of Salticidae of which 13 species are currently known from VC56 Nottinghamshire. Many UK Salticidae are restricted to coastal areas and southern counties of the UK, but appearances away from these areas could coincide with likely changes to the UK's climate.

Because the study and identification of spiders is less practiced in Nottinghamshire than most other invertebrate groups, there is the possibility that more species will eventually be added to the Nottinghamshire list. Two such examples occurred in 2023, with the first county records of Marpissa muscosa and Sibianor larae from a single north Nottinghamshire site, with both records of being of local and national notability.

Because of the general lack of interest in Arachnids showed by many of the county's naturalists over the years, our knowledge of their distribution is often rather scant to say the least.

A typical example of how little spiders are recorded, would be the distribution map for Salticus scenicus. This is a quite easily identified spider, that will be found on virtually every property in the county and it is certainly a widespread spider of urban areas. Most people will have seen it on the exterior walls of their properties, yet have never thought to report the sighting. So when looking at the following maps, consideration must be given to the fact that the maps probably show the minimal distrbution for most species.