Phiale sp. - Phiale Jumping Spider (C.L. Koch, 1846)

Araneae: Araneomorphae: Entelegynae: Salticidae: Salticinae: Saltafresia: Aelurillini: Freyina

Length: ~7mm
Date: 27th of October, 2017 at 02:29:39pm

Phiale is a genus of jumping spiders in the order Araneae, suborder Opisthothelae, infraorder Araneomorphae subdivision Entelegynae, family Salticidae, subfamily Salticinae, unranked clade Saltafresia, tribe Aelurillini and subtribe Freyina. They are found in South America and Central America, with some being endemic to some of the Caribbean islands. There is a great difficulty in identifying these spiders, as this genus is known to possess an enormous variation in coloring and patterns between individuals of the same species. As a Salticid, they are very docile and hunt insects actively instead of relying on webs to ensnare prey. They are harmless to humans and animals, being dangerous only to insects. This variation in coloring seems to be really rare, as apparently the only other register of what seems very similar to the individual portrayed can be found here: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1465206

Other sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phiale_(spider)
http://eol.org/pages/114068/overview

NEW CHANGES TO THE SUBDIVISIONS OF SALTICIDAE HERE: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1962

AND HERE: http://salticidae.org/salticidImages/pages/ecuador/classification.html#freyina

This Salticidae was photographed in Brazil, Santa Catarina, Benedito Novo.