Vida's Sheep Jumping Spider: Researchers Believe That These Tiny Spiders Developed Their "woolly" Appearance

Vida's Sheep Jumping Spider: researchers believe that these tiny spiders developed their "woolly" appearance as a way to mimic lacewing larvae or scale insects

The scientific name for this species is Oviballus vidae, but it has also been referred to as the "sheepy jumping spider" or "Vida's jumping spider." It was discovered in 2015, and first described (in a formal context) back in 2020.

As this article (PDF) describes:

Recently, two new salticids, R. legitima and Oviballus vidae were described from South Africa, and suggested to be mimics of either scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) or lacewing larvae (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), due to their white colouration and the presence of peculiar tufts of white setae on the body.

The possibility of [scale insects] being the model is supported by Oviballus vidae being regularly collected from plants with woolly scales, although the movements of O. vidae quite closely resemble those of chrysopid larvae.

In fact, a fourth species of possible scale mimic, a new Rhene species, was recently discovered in a collection of salticids from southern Mozambique, indicating that this phenomenon may be more widespread than has previously been known or even suspected.

O. vidae was named after Vida van der Walt, the photographer who captured some of the first images of these spiders back in 2015, just after the species was discovered by Dr. Galina Azarkina. Vida van der Walt also took the photographs that appear in this post.

Sources & More Info:

Arthropoda Selecta (scientific journal): Rediscovery and Redescription of Rhene cooperi, another possible mimic of scale insects (PDF)

Spider Club of South Africa: Two New Species Named After SA Photographer (PDF, with the relevant info on page 5)

Field Guide to the Spiders of South Africa: Section on Vida's Sheep Jumping Spider

it’s a tough life for someone like me, who should have been born a muppet

Weird cat 🐱

i just Adore being pretty. i Love the compliments, i Enjoy the Looks i get, and i’m so Fond of Dressing up

I know i’m a Pretty Boy

But please tell me That i am anyways :o)

From left to right: Frances Jimenez, Delores Browne, and Alice Mayes as students at the Judimar School of Dance.

if you like silly posts and wonderfully good art then you should follow this wonderful artist!

i’m quite the fan and their art is very good quality! give them a follow and maybe commission them if you can!

Are you interested in your very own clown?? WELL IVE GOT GOOD NEWS!!!

I’m taking custom clown commissions!! Below are some examples! (They all belong to their respective owners now)

Clown comms are $30! You just need to give me a moodboard of your choosing!