✨Hi, I'm Nim. 🌟 A monstrum, a divine misfortune.✨

Pterinopelma sazimai

(Iridescent Blue)

Butterfly of the day Xylophanes falco

🌈Feast your eyes on the dazzling colors of the rainbow leaf beetle (Chrysolina cerealis)! Though this insect is widely distributed across Europe, it’s seldom seen. Growing up to 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in size, this critter feeds on plants including ivy, roses, and thyme. It prefers to inhabit montane forests at elevations of up to 1,970 ft (600 m). 

Just, yk... the biggest (land) arthropod to exist. (I could be wrong 🤨)

And guess what... IT'S- ...actually NOT a centipede. They are relatives to modern millipedes actually! (Let's welcome our cousin millipede for this post)

(More images below 🤝)

(Cw: CLOSE up of a centipede, centipede eating cricket, no videos tho)

this is my current favorite photo of Bellatrix taking a quick lil evening peek out of her burrow. i’m happy about every single pic of her since she’s usually always underground and i’m keeping a terrarium full of dirt as a pet. basically.

a small price to pay for Snail Table, in my opinion

The scientific name of this species is Chrysilla volupe, but it's also known as the rainbow jumping spider, because the males are covered in colorful, iridescent patterns that include shades of red, pink, purple, blue, green, and gold.

Above: the male form of Chrysilla volupe

These may be the world's most flamboyant spiders.

Above: Chrysilla volupe males

Despite its eye-catching appearance, Chrysilla volupe is regarded as a rare species, and it's often very difficult to find.

The male form of Chrysilla volupe was first described by scientists in 1879, but very few of these spiders were documented in the years that followed, leading some researchers to believe that the species may have gone extinct.

Above: another male of the same species

The female form wasn't even identified until 139 years later, when several female specimens were finally discovered in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala, India. That discovery was made back in 2018.

Above: the female form of Chrysilla volupe

The females also have iridescent patterns, but their colors are much more subdued. Their heads are decorated with patches of red and grayish-blue setae; the spider's abdomen is also covered in shimmering flecks of blue, gold, pink, and purple. Unlike the males, the females do not have colorful patterns on their legs.

Above: a lateral view of the male

Like most jumping spiders, this species is quite small -- the males have a maximum length of just 5.4mm (that measurement includes their outstretched legs) and the females are even smaller, measuring just 2.6mm long, which is roughly the size of a flea.

Above: Chrysilla volupe standing on a lizard's head

Chrysilla volupe has been documented at sites throughout India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

Above: a rainbow jumping spider with a dewdrop on his head

I wrote a post about this species a few years ago, but it recently occurred to me that some of the info in that original post may have been inaccurate, so I decided to just go back and rewrite the whole thing.

I also added more info, sources, and photos.

Above: a male Chrysilla volupe snacking on a fruit fly

Sources & More Info:

Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies: Chrysilla volupe Spider Spotted in Eastern Ghats, India (PDF)

Arthropoda Selecta: First Description of the Female of Chrysilla volupe from India, with Notes on the Species' Distribution and Life History

Biodiversity Data Journal: The Genera Chrysilla and Phintelloides Revisited

The Hindu: Rare Chrysilla volupe Spiders Discovered at Puttenahalli Lake

The colors are so pretty 🥹 kinda like a bee lol-

Magnolia Green Jumping Spider (Lyssomanes viridis)