A road map of jumping spider behavior

Abstract

The largest family of spiders, jumping spiders (Salticidae), is known for performing complex visually mediated predatory and courtship behavior. As cursorial predators, they rely on their sensory systems to identify objects at a distance. Based on these assessments, salticids perform flexible and target-specific behavioral sequences which demonstrate a high level of cognitive processing. Recent studies have highlighted the role of other sensory modalities in these processes, such as chemoreception and mechanoreception, and elucidated the visual cues used for object identification, including motion, color, contrast, and shape-based cues. Until recently, sensory modalities other than vision were largely overlooked, but current advances in technology now allow us to probe their sensory and cognitive capabilities, as well as how these are shaped by experience. In this review, I provide an overview of current knowledge of salticid behavior and the sensory systems underpinning this behavior, and highlight areas in need of further research. This review focusses on our understanding of salticid communication, parental behavior, personality, antipredator behavior, and diet, as well as habitat selection. I argue that a historical vision-based focus on a small number of species due to their coloration or their unusual behavior provides a springboard for a deeper understanding of the general cognitive and sensory attributes that have evolved in this lineage, of which we yet have much to learn.