DISTINGUISHING THE JUMPING SPIDERS 
ERIS MILITARIS AND ERIS FLA VA 
IN NORTH AMERICA (ARANEAE: SALTICIDAE)* 
By Wayne Maddison 
Museum of Comparative Zoology, 
Harvard University, 
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 
The jumping spiders now identified as Eris marginata are among 
the most frequently encountered in North America, for they are 
common on trees, shrubs and herbs throughout much of the 
continent. However, two species have been confused under this 
name. One is an abundant transamerican species whose proper 
name is Eris militaris; the other is Eris flava, widely distributed in 
eastern North America though common only in the southeast. In 
this paper I describe how they may be distinguished. The abbrevia- 
tion MCZ refers to the Museum of Comparative Zoology; ZMB to 
the Zoologisches Museum, Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin. 
Eris militaris (Hentz), new combination 
Figures 2-7, 14 
Attus militaris Hentz 1845: 201, pi. xvii, fig. 109, 11<3- Type material lost or de- 
stroyed (see Remarks, below), from North Carolina and Alabama. Neotype here 
designated, 1$ in MCZ from North Carolina with label “NC: jackson co., 
Coyle Farm, 1.5 mi SW of Webster, 7 Sept. 1975; F. Coyle.” 
Plexippus albovittatus C. L. Koch 1846: 118, fig. 11789- Syntypes in ZMB 19 with 
labels “P. albovittatus 1739” and “1739”, and 19 with label “P. albovittatus 
ZMB 1739”, examined. Type locality Pennsylvania (Koch, 1846). new synonymy. 
Eris aurigera C. L. Koch 1846: 189, fig. 1237 S- Syntypes in ZMB 1$ with carapace 
and abdomen in alcohol with labels “Eris aurigera C. L. Koch*, 1774” and 
“Typus” and remaining body parts mounted on cover slip in small box with label 
“(Eris aurigera Koch*) Dendryphantes marginatus Walck., ZMB 1774a, D. mil- 
itaris Hentz, XI, Syntypus” and \$ mounted on cover slip with label “Eris 
aurigera*, C. L. Koch, $ Rf.?, 1774b, Syntyp., Paraphidippus”, both examined. 
Euophrys humilis C. L. Koch 1846: 217, fig. 12629- Holotype 19 in ZMB with labels 
“Holotypus”, “1804”, “ZU 1804”, “Euophrys humilis”, “Pennsylvanien, Zim- 
mermann leg.”, “Zool. Mus. Berlin”, examined. 
Manuscript received by the editor January 15, 1986. 
141 
