While the male’s elongated jaws are the most notable feature of Bagheera prosper, the genus Bagheera is best known for the unique diet of B. kiplingi. It is the only herbivorous spider and regularly feeds on the nutrient rich Beltian bodies of the Acacia trees it inhabits. B. prosper was previously known in North America from Texas and Oklahoma. The two males shown here (clips 1 and 2) were found in Little Rock’s Riverfront Park and are the first records for Arkansas. The spiders shown in clips 3-5 were part of a large (25>) assemblage of B. prosper observed in Texas on the outside walls of a public restroom. Recent records for several species of salticids, including this one, represent northerly range expansions and may be related to the warming climate.
Meehan et al., 2009