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Megafreya sutrix

Megafreya sutrix


Family: Salticidae
Order: Araneae
Class: Arachnida
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Synonyms: Euophrys sutrix.





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Records from Santo Tomé


Description


This is a medium-sized and agile arachnid belonging to the jumping spider family (Salticidae). It exhibits prominent sexual dimorphism, with adult males reaching body lengths of 6 to 8 millimeters, while females are generally bulkier and slightly larger, ranging from 7 to 9 millimeters. The carapace of the male is mostly dark brown or black, featuring distinctive lateral bands of iridescent white scales that run along the sides and around the eyes. Their chelicerae are robust and dark, contrasting with light-colored hairs on the clypeus. In contrast, females display highly cryptic coloration composed of mottled brown, beige, and grey tones that provide excellent camouflage against plant bark and dry leaves. Their characteristic eight eyes are arranged in three rows, dominated by two massive anterior median eyes that provide exceptional binocular vision, allowing precise depth perception and sharp resolution necessary for stalking prey.

Geographical distribution: It is widely distributed across the Neotropical region of South America. Its geographic range encompasses extensive areas of Brazil (particularly in the southern and southeastern states), the entirety of Uruguay, numerous provinces of Argentina (reaching the temperate grasslands of the pampas and northern forested areas), and bordering regions in Paraguay. It is a native species well-suited to the diverse climatic conditions of the southern half of the continent.

Habitat: This species primarily inhabits open and semi-open ecosystems, including grasslands, shrublands, savannas, and forest edges. It also displays a notable synanthropic tendency, thriving in human-modified environments. It is frequently encountered in suburban gardens, urban parks, agricultural fields, and on the exterior walls, fences, and window sills of residential homes, where it utilizes sunny vertical surfaces to hunt and thermoregulate.

Feeding: As an active insectivorous predator, it does not build webs to capture food. Instead, it relies on its acute eyesight to hunt. Its diet consists of a wide variety of small arthropods, such as flies, mosquitoes, aphids, small moths, and ants. Upon spotting prey, the spider stalks it with slow, calculated movements before executing a rapid, precise leap from several centimeters away. It immediately subdues the prey by injecting a paralyzing venom through its chelicerae, subsequently consuming the liquefied internal tissues.

Behavior: It is strictly diurnal and exhibits high levels of activity during warm, sunny hours. Its movements are characterized by sudden, jerky runs punctuated by brief pauses to scan the surroundings with its mobile cephalothorax. Although it does not spin capture webs, it always attaches a silken dragline to the substrate prior to jumping, acting as a safety rope to prevent falls. At night or during inclement weather, it constructs a tubular silk retreat hidden under foliage, peeling bark, or artificial crevices to rest and molt.

Reproduction: The mating process is preceded by an intricate and highly visual courtship display. Upon detecting female pheromones and visual cues, the male initiates a coordinated dance, swaying his body side-to-side while raising and waving his pedipalps and first pair of legs, which often display specialized hair patterns. This ritual is crucial to pacify the female and minimize the risk of sexual cannibalism. If receptive, she allows copulation. Afterward, the female constructs a secure silk sac in a sheltered crevice to deposit her eggs. She remains inside or adjacent to the nest, guarding the egg sac without feeding, defending it from potential predators until the spiderlings hatch. The young spiders undergo their first molt within the nest before dispersing via ballooning, using wind currents to carry their silk threads.

Conservation status: It has not yet been formally evaluated by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. However, due to its expansive geographic distribution, high adaptability to urban and human-disturbed habitats, and the lack of any significant threats to its wild populations, it is informally considered a species of least concern, maintaining stable populations across its entire range.



Compilation and publication: EcoRegistros – 08/08/2026




Geographic distribution


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Species photographs

Last published photographs

Foto
Photography ID: 463867
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
02/18/2016
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 462626
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
09/25/2017
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 460195
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
08/27/2021
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 457878
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
10/18/2017
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 448968
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
01/31/2017
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 447073
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
11/06/2011
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 436791
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
03/11/2021
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 418641
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
05/10/2020
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 417176
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
10/06/2020
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 415288
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
09/28/2020
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 394467
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
09/21/2019
Eduardo Beltrocco
Foto
Photography ID: 390954
  Adult

Santo Tomé
Santa Fe
Argentina
03/14/2020
Eduardo Beltrocco



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 Detail of places sorted by number of records








Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
153624819/01/2022ArgentinaSanta FeBanco Bica, obispo gelabert y 25 de mayo, Santo Tomé1Eduardo Beltrocco
145717427/08/2021ArgentinaSanta FePasaje Mena, entre Salta e Iriondo, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
137826511/03/2021ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
130596206/10/2020ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
130144828/09/2020ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
130980710/05/2020ArgentinaSanta FeParque Infantil D.f. Sarmiento, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
123017614/03/2020ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
123614521/09/2019ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
144875218/10/2017ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
146403925/09/2017ArgentinaSanta FeSarmiento y Centenario, Santo ToméEduardo Beltrocco
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Megafreya sutrix – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 16/09/2026.