Salticids

A Salticid is the proper name for a member of a huge and diverse cross-genus group of highly intelligent jumping spiders, representing multiple convergently evolved lineages worldwide. Within their cultures they are known simply as spiders, a term which in that context does not apply to any other arachnid.

Description
Some salticids are larger than others but all range from roughly one to two and a half feet in overall length, not counting ability to extend legs. Some large salticids, such as the Hyllus, can reach nearly three feet in body length. Salticids range in physical attributes depending on the species, but all have roughly the same anatomical setup, derived from their salticid ancestors. They have eight eyes and nearly 360-degree vision. Two of their four front-facing eyes are distinctly large. Like all spiders they have eight legs. Their back legs are capable of extreme, quick alterations of hemolymph pressure that allow them to jump far and high. Their bodies are covered in fine hairs called setae which help them sense minute vibrations. Salticids are largely deaf and rely on this sense in place of hearing.

Evolved from hunters, salticids largely prey on large arthropods, especially the abundant vast weavers, which have been cultivated by most organized societies and sometimes bred into a more appealing form. They bite their prey with two large fangs, injecting it with venom which dissolves its innards into a stew that can be consumed with their simple mouths. To conserve venom, a costly material to produce, salticids evolved community feasting behavior in which members would take turns injecting prey and several members of the group would gather to feed on the same prey item. It is likely that this feasting behavior contributed to conditions favoring altruism and thus the evolution of salticid societies.

Depending on the species, salticids mature to adulthood in about ten years and can live to be up to forty. They lay eggs in clutches of five to ten.

Evolution
All salticids are the result of an evolutionary phenomenon beginning in the late Anthropocene which favored intelligent, highly visually-oriented, terrestrial predatory arthropods. While prey were abundant in the form of springtails, mites, and plastic insects, the difficult conditions brought on by the Sixth Mass Extinction made hunting more challenging, which led to a trend of higher intelligence and problem-solving skills. While predators arose in these other groups, salticids had the advantage of ending the Sixth Mass Extinction already being adapted for a visual predatory lifestyle.

Although not all salticid species are exactly the same, and many possess different physical traits and abilities, they are very similar, and homogenous inland global conditions have led to extreme similarities on all continents.

Society
Salticids have formed a number of societies including hunter-gatherer bands, colonial empires, feudal monarchies, tribal collectives, and representative democracies. Both the Eastern and Western hemispheres have developed independently with little to no contact.

Many phenomena previously only confirmed in humans occur in salticid society, such as culture, altruism, language, war, slavery, and ethical responsibility.

Salticids tend to live in groups called canopies comprised of three to ten individuals, depending on the strength and reach of relationships and regional resource availability.

Language
Salticids communicate in two ways. Their chief method of communication is a vibrational language, where information is transmitted between individuals through the rubbing of legs and pedipalps against each other and the abdomen in specific patterns. The other is a visual signed language, which, unlike human sign languages, is generally less effective at transmitting information and is used when vibrational communication is impossible or needs to be avoided.

Most groups of salticids have their own languages, with more than one hundred vibrational-visual pairs existing worldwide.

Terran Salticids

 * Portia
 * Hyllus
 * Mopsus
 * Helpis

American Salticids

 * Platycryptus
 * Phidippus
 * Kiplingi