Hello ,

 A few weeks ago, I found a tiny little jumping spider with mind blowing colour! Even though this tiny spider is only 1.2mm in length it has enough colour to capture your attention!

This tiny jumping spider is likely from the genus Tanzania, and currently there are 7 described species in the genus. Six species from Africa and one from India.

I collected the tiny spider to take some photos of it (See below). It is a good thing I collected this specimen when I came across it, because it sparked a lot of interest! It was the observation of the day on iNaturalist (You can see the observation here). Upon contacting Vida van der Walt (an excellent macrophotographer that focusses on Jumping spiders, her Jumping Spider photos Website) to assist with an identification, she asked that I should send the specimen to her so that she can take some photos and give it to Prof Charles Haddad at ARC. Prof Haddad indicated that the specimen likely belongs to the Tanzania Genus and is definitely a Cheetahs supporter! Furthermore, I was contacted by Dr. Ashutos V. Dudharta from India who, along with Dr Dhruv Prajapati, recently described India’s first species of Tanzania!

What is the most beautiful invertebrate you have ever come across and how did you find it? Or did it find you?

This tiny jumping spider is possibly a new species of Jumping spider that has never been described or even collected before. I will keep you up to date as to what is going on with little spider! The jumping spider is currently in Pretoria with Vida van der Walt, where he is being fed and monitored to ensure that he is fully grown before he is sent to Prof Haddad. Prof Haddad will identify the spider and let us know exactly what species it is, and whether it is a new species or not.

If you would like to send me a message with your answers, feel free to do so on Instagram @abugmanslife or via email to [email protected].

Weekly Top Shot: Tanzania!