Phidippus audax
(Bold Jumper)

The spider species Phidippus audax, commonly known as Bold Jumper, belongs to the genus Phidippus, in the family Salticidae. Phidippus audax spiders have been sighted 209 times by contributing members. Based on collected data, the geographic range for Phidippus audax includes 2 countries and 40 states in the United States. Phidippus audax is most often sighted outdoors, and during the month of May.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Genus: Phidippus
Species: Phidippus audax

Common Name (AAS)

Bold Jumper

Other Common Names

Daring Jumping Spider, Bold Jumping Spider, White Spotted Jumping Spider, Jumping Spider

Author

Nicholas Marcellus Hentz, 1845

Primary Colors

Sightings Overview

There have been 209 confirmed sightings of Phidippus audax (Bold Jumper), with the most recent sighting submitted on December 21, 2025 by Spider ID member jrmclauchlin. The detailed statistics below may not utilize the complete dataset of 209 sightings because of certain Phidippus audax sightings reporting incomplete data.

Web: 7% of the time, Phidippus audax spiders are sighted in a spider web (Sample size: 208)
Sex: 6 female and 18 male.
Environment: Phidippus audax has been sighted 129 times outdoors, and 91 times indoors.
Outdoors: Man-made structure (101). On flower (3). Low foliage (9). High foliage (1). Ground layer (9). Under rock or debris (3). Saltwater (1). Forest (1). Desert area (1).

Location and Range

Phidippus audax (Bold Jumper) has been sighted in the following countries: Canada, United States.

Phidippus audax has also been sighted in the following states: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Seasonality

Phidippus audax has been primarily sighted during the month of May.

January: 3
February: 5
March: 17
April: 44
May: 94
June: 30
July: 2
August:
September:
October: 6
November: 3
December: 4

Additional Remarks

Some of the body colors we have selected are the potential colors of the chelicerae (jaws) of this species. They have an iridescent sheen and can be metallic green, blue, or occasionally pink or purple.
The most distinctive and typical marking is a white (or orange) triangular patch in the center of its abdomen.
Careful, this species can look remarkably similar to some Phidippus regius; the adult males of the two species are almost inseparable, except by the experienced eye.
In adult males, the front pair of legs are the thickest and have long, conspicuous tufts of white and black hairs.
Juvenile specimens may have black and red or black and orange banded legs.
Silken egg sacs are attached under rocks or tree bark, old logs, or in other crevices, and the female stands guard over it. Each brood may have anywhere from 50-200 orangish eggs within it.