Cosmophasis umbratica
Encyclopedia
Cosmophasis umbratica is a species of jumping spider
Jumping spider
The jumping spider family contains more than 500 described genera and about 5,000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders with about 13% of all species. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among invertebrates and use it in courtship, hunting and navigation...

 that occurs from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 to Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...

.

They are most frequently spotted on plants that are exposed to sunlight during later morning and early afternoon.

Males have complex iridescent markings on the dorsal and lateral cephalothorax and on the lateral femora of all legs, and silvery white lines on the abdomen, while females have a green cephalothorax and a brown, white and black abdomen.

C. umbratica shows extreme dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...

 when viewed under UV light: males reflect UV on all body parts that are displayed during intraspecific
Intraspecific
Intraspecific is a term used in biology to describe behaviors, biochemical variations and other issues within individuals of a single species, thereby contrasting with interspecific. For example:* Intraspecific antagonism...

 interaction, while females and juveniles do not reflect UV at all. It seems that C. umbratica uses this in sexual signaling. A similar phenomenon is found in some butterflies (for example, several species of Colias
Colias
Colias is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are usually called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus Zerene, which is sometimes included in Colias.This genus occurs throughout the...

and Gonepteryx
Gonepteryx
Gonepteryx is a genus of butterfly in the Pieridae family. They live in Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. They are commonly known as brimstones for the bright yellow color of the wings of most species.-Species:It contains the following species:...

, both of the family Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...

).

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