The November Spider of the Month (SOTM) is this sheepy jumping spider (Oviballus vidae; Salticidae), photographed by Kyle Thomas in Magoebaskloof, Limpopo.
Kyle said the following about this find:
“Jumping spiders are one of my least favourite spiders to photograph (even though they make great subjects), they are often just sooo uncooperative and seemingly have infinite ‘zoomies’. However, when you come across a species that you have always wished to find, you just have to tough it out. I was fully prepared to spend a good hour with hundreds of photos but was pleasantly surprised when this little lamb posed so nicely after just a couple of shots.”
These woolly jumping spiders are very small (3-4 mm) and are found on vegetation. In a few cases, they were found around cottony cushion scale insects (Icerya purchasi), which made some people wonder if this spider perhaps mimics these woolly insects for some reason.
Oviballus vidae was discovered not too long ago and was described in 2020 by Galina Azarkina and Charles Haddad. The species was named in honour of Vida van der Walt, a South African macro photographer who focuses mostly on jumping spiders. The genus name means “sheep-like jumping spider”, from the Latin “ovis” (sheep) and Greek “ballizo” (to dance, to jump). It is the only species in this genus, and it has been recorded only in South Africa. They have been found in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and now also Limpopo.
Out of 198 people who voted, this photo received a whopping 141 (71%) votes, almost 50 votes more than the runner-up. This is Kyle’s sixth SOTM. Congratulations!