This is Phil!

This is my new friend Phil...

Phil is short for Philaeus, Philaeus Chrysops (chrysops, by the way, means "golden eye", even though Phil looks more like a Καραγκιόζης-Karagiozis that translates into the one with the black eyes, which Phil seems to have quite a few of).

Nice to meet you, Phil. What are your pronouns?

Phil, as you can see, is a cute jumping spider and is a he. He has a bright red opisthosoma, black head with two white stripes right behind his rear eyes (although you don't see these in all males of the species). The girls of his species, on the other hand, are totally different, humbler I'd say, with more earthy colors like this lady here:

^{Image from commons.wikimedia.org - License Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International}

Let me take you out for lunch

If you want to treat Phil something to eat, you can go hunting together, as he prefers to catch his food and eat it on the spot. He is a genuine jumping spider who likes his meat fresh and raw!

When to see him

Phil prefers warm temperatures, so spring and summer are when you'll be able to see him around. Around July, the kids will have entered adulthood and the hunt of a good girl to settle down with and have a bunch of spiderlings begins.

Any chances of meeting him or any of his brothers?

Probably, if you happen to live anywhere from Portugal to Korea and South China. These guys are common in most European countries, although you won't see them in the North. Leaving the European continent, you may happen to see them from North Africa, Turkey, Iran, the Near East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan and all the way to Korea, Mongolia and China.

Bye bye, Phil!!!

• All information came from our friend, the I-know-it-all Wikipedia: Philaeus Chrysops

• All non-referenced images by @ruth-girl

^{Original content by @ruth-girl - All rights reserved}

Posted with STEMGeeks