Glittering male seeks fluorescing female

A tropical jumping spider needs ultraviolet wavelengths for courtship, say researchers.

HEY THERE. A female tropical jumping spider’s palps, appendages near her mouth, glow enticingly when exposed to ultraviolet wavelengths. M. Lim and Li

The tiny spider, Cosmophasis umbratica, often turns up on sun-loving plants in tropical southeast Asia, explains Daiqin Li of the National University of Singapore.