Common white-cheeked jumping spider (Pelegrina proterva)

The common white-cheeked jumping spider is a spider in the family Salticidae that is not dangerous to people. GBIF holds 403 licensed U.S. records of it; it reaches our listing threshold in 28 states, most of all Illinois (61), Ohio (47) and Virginia (39). Its observation records peak in May.

28states on record

403licensed U.S. records

Maypeak month, observations

Novenomous to people

Pelegrina proterva is a species of jumping spider. It is mainly found in the eastern United States and Canada, but has been reported as far west as British Columbia and Montana. Males range from 3.3 to 4.2 mm in body length and females from 4.4 to 5.6 mm.

From Wikipedia: Pelegrina proterva, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bitten? Call 911 for a venomous snakebite or any bite with trouble breathing. For advice on any bite or sting, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (free, 24/7, U.S.-wide). Do not cut the wound, suck out venom or use a tourniquet. General information, not medical advice. Do not handle or try to identify a snake or spider by this page; if unsure, treat it as venomous.

Is the common white-cheeked jumping spider poisonous or venomous?

Not in any medically significant way. Like almost all spiders the common white-cheeked jumping spider (family Salticidae) has venom for its prey, but it is not a widow or recluse, the two U.S. groups whose bites need medical attention.

Which states have the common white-cheeked jumping spider?

Records are spread over 28 states; the top three, Illinois, Ohio and Virginia, hold 36% of them.

Source: GBIF, read 2026-09-29. A state is listed once GBIF holds at least 10 records of the species there under any license; Records counts only CC0 and CC BY records, so a listed state can show fewer.
#	State	Records	Share of state spiders	Rank in state
1	Illinois	61	0.3%	48th of 243
2	Ohio	47	0.7%	39th of 332
3	Virginia	39	0.3%	61st of 176
4	Indiana	34	0.8%	26th of 133
5	Massachusetts	22	0.5%	48th of 189
6	New York	22	0.4%	55th of 149
7	Wisconsin	22	0.7%	35th of 149
8	Minnesota	19	0.6%	32nd of 145
9	Maryland	17	0.3%	73rd of 153
10	Michigan	15	0.6%	34th of 122
11	Pennsylvania	12	0.2%	77th of 164
12	Kentucky	10	0.5%	47th of 103
13	Connecticut	8	0.8%	27th of 86
14	New Hampshire	8	0.6%	37th of 72
15	North Carolina	8	0.1%	93rd of 184
16	Georgia	7	0.1%	107th of 186
17	New Jersey	7	0.3%	63rd of 127
18	Tennessee	7	0.2%	76th of 138
19	Vermont	7	0.4%	34th of 74
20	Missouri	6	0.3%	58th of 117
21	Arkansas	5	0.3%	70th of 114
22	Kansas	4	0.2%	59th of 94
23	Iowa	3	0.4%	33rd of 57
24	Maine	3	0.3%	41st of 297
25	Oklahoma	3	0.1%	120th of 149
26	Texas	2	0.0%	294th of 386
27	Colorado	0	—	—
28	North Dakota	0	—	—

When is the common white-cheeked jumping spider seen?

Across the U.S., observation records of the common white-cheeked jumping spider run mostly April through October, peaking in May with 27% of them. Almost none are from December to February.

Season by state

The main season starts in the same month, April, in all 2 states whose main season falls within one calendar year. Each of these states peaks in a different month: May in Virginia and September in Ohio.

Source: GBIF observation records (CC0, CC BY) by state and month, read 2026-09-29. States with fewer than 30 observation records with a month are left out.
State	Main season	Peak month	Observation records
Ohio	April through October	September	47
Virginia	April through November	May	39

Where the common white-cheeked jumping spider is recorded in each state

Illinois

Illinois holds 61 licensed records, the joint 48th most recorded of 243 spiders listed there. Most of its licensed records in Illinois come from Jo Daviess County, Cook County and Coles County. Next come LaSalle County (2) and Lake County (2).

Ohio

Ohio holds 47 licensed records, the joint 39th most recorded of 332 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Ohio run mostly April through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Franklin County, Richland County and Portage County. Next come Cuyahoga County (5) and Erie County (3).

Virginia

Virginia holds 39 licensed records, the 61st most recorded of 176 spiders listed there. Its observation records in Virginia run mostly April through November, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County. Next come Richmond (1) and Warren County (1).

Indiana

Indiana holds 34 licensed records, the joint 26th most recorded of 133 spiders listed there. Most of its licensed records in Indiana come from Lake County, Monroe County and Parke County. Next come St. Joseph County (2) and Henry County (1).

Top counties in the U.S.

Source: GBIF licensed records by county (GADM level 2), read 2026-09-29.
#	County	State	Records	Share of U.S.
1	Jo Daviess County	Illinois	29	7.2%
2	Fairfax County	Virginia	29	7.2%
3	Lake County	Indiana	20	5.0%
4	Cook County	Illinois	12	3.0%
5	Franklin County	Ohio	11	2.7%
6	Richland County	Ohio	7	1.7%
7	Portage County	Ohio	6	1.5%
8	Cuyahoga County	Ohio	5	1.2%
9	Loudoun County	Virginia	5	1.2%
10	Erie County	Ohio	3	0.7%
11	Hamilton County	Ohio	3	0.7%
12	Coles County	Illinois	2	0.5%
13	LaSalle County	Illinois	2	0.5%
14	Lake County	Illinois	2	0.5%
15	Piatt County	Illinois	2	0.5%

How recent are the common white-cheeked jumping spider records?

Most of what is known about the common white-cheeked jumping spider is recent: 71% of dated U.S. records were made in 2017–2026, and half date from 2021 or later. The oldest dated record is from 1925; the busiest year was 2025, with 54 records.

Source: GBIF licensed U.S. records with a year, read 2026-09-29.
Decade	Records	Share
1920s	1	0.2%
1930s	5	1.2%
1940s	11	2.6%
1950s	2	0.5%
1960s	2	0.5%
1970s	5	1.2%
1980s	9	2.1%
1990s	14	3.3%
2000s	2	0.5%
2010s	119	28.4%
2020s	249	59.4%

Species recorded in the same counties

Of the 49 counties where the common white-cheeked jumping spider is most recorded, 29 are also top counties for both the dark fishing spider and the flea jumping spider; no other spider shares more. None of its closest neighbors is venomous.

Source: GBIF licensed records, top counties per species and state, read 2026-09-29.
Species	Shared counties
Dark fishing spider	29
Flea jumping spider	29
Bold jumper	28
Familiar jumping spider	28
Orchard orbweaver	28
Triangulate bud spider	28
Dimorphic jumper	27
Nursery web spider	27

Other members of the family Salticidae with profiles here: Bold jumper, Familiar jumping spider, Zebra spider, Bronze jumper, Magnolia green jumper and Half-edged wall jumping spider.

Bold jumperPhidippus audax

Familiar jumping spiderPlatycryptus undatus

Zebra spiderSalticus scenicus

Bronze jumperEris militaris

Magnolia green jumperLyssomanes viridis

Half-edged wall jumping spiderMenemerus semilimbatus

Twin-flagged jumping spiderAnasaitis canosa

Flea jumping spiderNaphrys pulex

GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.

About these numbers

A species is listed for a state once GBIF holds at least 10 records of it located inside the state by coordinates, under any license. Every count, share, month and county shown is computed only from records published under CC0 or CC BY, so a listed species can show few or no counted records. Monthly patterns show when people record spiders, which also reflects when people are outdoors. Venomous status follows taxonomy: pit vipers and coral snakes; widow and recluse spiders; the Arizona bark scorpion. Records filed under older names count for the species they belong to today. Full methodology.