Helpis minitabunda is a jumping spider, that is quite common in Australia and considered an invasive species in New Zeland. They are usually found on foliage in moist areas. They have a number of common names including Bronze Hopper, Bronze Jumping Spider and Threatening Jumping Spider.

The specific epithet minitabunda is derived from Latin, meaning “threatening”. It is the male spider of the species that often display a fearless or threatening behaviour when approached.
Unusually for spider species, where the males are smaller then the females, the Helpis minitabunda male is larger than the female, with the male body about 10 mm in length, compared to the females 8 mm body length. The front two pairs of legs are particularly long. The male head has a flat topped caput (a Latin word meaning “head”), that is covered with creamy white hairs. Below are large protruding chelicerae (mouthparts used to hold prey, while the spider injects venom. Not all species have venom glands).
Helpis minitabunda will hunt other spiders. Their pre-mating courtship dance between the male and female Helpis minitabunda can last from two to three hours.

- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Family: Salticidae
- Genus: Helpis
- Species: Helpis minitabunda
Footnote & References
- Helpis minitabunda (Bronze Hopper), Photographs © Deb Taylor
- Helpis minitabunda (L. Koch, 1880), Bronze Aussie Jumping Spider, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Helpis minitabunda
SpidersIndex of Spider Images Spiders in Australia Spiders Index Araneidae — Orb Weavers Spider sac Arkys Australian Huntsman Spider Barking Spider Black House Spider Carepalxis sp Celaenia sp Crab Spiders Deinopidae — Net-casting Spiders Dolomedes sp Dolophones sp Euryopis umbilicate (Superb Ant-eater Spider) Flower Spiders Gnaphosidae (Stealthy Ground Spider) Hackled Orbweavers (Uloboridae) Helpis minitabunda (Bronze Hopper) Herennia sp Jewel Spider Jumping Spider Long Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp) Lynx Spider (Oxyopes) Mangrovia albida Maratus Missulena occatoria (Red-headed Mouse Spider) Miturgidae Molycria burwelli Mopsus mormon Ogre-faced Net-casting Spider Nicodamidae (Red and Black Spider) Nyssus coloripes (Orange-legged Swift Spider) Poltys sp (Twig Spider) Redback Spider Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi) Tetragnatha Thomisidae Tiger Spider (Trichonephila plumipes) White-spotted Swift Spider (Nyssus albopunctatus) Wolf Spider