Bug FAQMagnolia Green Jumping Spider
Lyssomanes viridis · Order: Araneae · Family: Salticidae
Also called: magnolia green jumper
The magnolia green jumping spider is a small, pale green spider that often lives on magnolia leaves but can be found on many tree species. It hunts mainly insects and other small arthropods by short ambush jumps and reproduces in spring, with females guarding egg clutches on leaf undersides.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are pale translucent green with a fringe of colored scales on the head and, in males, bright chelicerae and forelegs used in displays.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Females are about 7 to 8 mm long and males about 5 to 6 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They prefer broad magnolia leaves in warm, humid forests but also occur on oak, maple, pine, and lower bushes.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They mainly eat mites, aphids, ants, and sometimes other spiders. Because they jump only short distances, they often lunge from close range to catch prey.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Mating occurs in spring, especially May; females lay 25 to 70 pale-green eggs on leaf undersides and guard them until they hatch, dying in August. Sub-adult spiders overwinter on trees and finish developing in early spring.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Mating takes place in the spring months, particularly May.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their native range covers much of the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Salticidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyssomanes_viridis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.