Gray Wall Jumper (Menemerus bivittatus)

The gray wall jumper is a jumping spider with a pan-tropical distribution. It is commonly seen on the walls of habitations in Saint Martin, where it uses its keen eyesight to capture insect prey. We typically have a number of them in our house and on our veranda at any time, prowling for unsuspecting victims. Although they may retreat if approached closely, they mostly seem to ignore human attention. Viewed closely, they can be quite charming, often using their pedipalps to scrub their little faces. They typical coloration is gray with white strips along the sides.