Jumping spider, Fiji

August 2017. A jumping spider from Fiji, found on leaf of tomato.

Looks like a jumping spider (Salticidae). In studies on natural enemies of pests in New Zealand, Cambodia and Vietnam, it is believed that spiders are the most important biological control agent of pests in newly planted outdoor vegetable crops, especially those planted as cell transplants. But the BC is by various types of spiders when the plants are small. The most common and probably the most important are sheet web spiders and wolf spiders. When the plants get bigger you see more types of spiders. Jumping spiders react to movement, so probably better at capturing moving insects, rather than stationary pests such as aphids. As a generalist predator they will also capture other natural enemies.