THE ONTOGENY OF LYSSOMANES VIRIDIS 
(WALCKENAER) (ARANEAE: SALTICIDAE) 
ON MAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA LJ 
By David B. Richman and Willard H. Whitcomb 
Department of Entomology and Nematology 
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611 
Introduction 
Lyssomanes viridis (Walckenaer) is a translucent green spider 
found in the southeastern United States from North Carolina to 
Florida and Texas (Kaston 1978). It has sometimes been placed in a 
separate family, Lyssomanidae, but the most recent taxonomic 
study (Galiano 1976) includes it in the Salticidae. This species 
commonly lives on the tree Magnolia grandiflora L. in mesic 
situations, on palmettoes in various habitats, and on Lyonia sp. and 
other shrubs in the sand pine scrub of central Florida. No complete 
life cycle has been published for any Lyssomanes species. Crane 
(1950) did present descriptions of the early stages, including second 
postembryo (her first instar) and first instar (her second instar) of L. 
bradyspilus Crane. The current paper is the result of a total of two 
and one half years of collection and observation of a natural 
population of L. viridis for the purpose of learning about the 
ontogeny of this spider in the wild. 
Methods 
Eggs, immatures, and adults of L . viridis were collected on the 
undersides of leaves by turning the leaves and catching the spiders in 
vials in a stand of Magnolia grandiflora at Tall Timbers Research 
Station, Leon County, Florida (Figure 1). These were collected 
monthly from August 1971 to February 1973 and usually twice a 
month from June 1977 through June 1978. The population densities 
were measured by counting the number of spiders collected per 1000 
leaves from September 1977 through the death of the adults and the 
'Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 3059. 
Manuscript received by the editor July 10, 1981 
127 
