Crab spiders - Family Thomisidae
Live crab spiders photographed at northern Illinois.
Insects and Spiders | Spiders Index | Spider Pictures | Jumping Spiders | Beetles Index | Butterflies
Northern Crab Spider
Northern Crab Spider
Crab spiders (often called flower spiders) are known for their oversized front legs and superficial resemblance to the familiar crustacean seafood item. Species in Thomisidae have camouflage which makes them nearly invisible when lying in wait on or near flowers, where they snag unwary insects blundering within range while nectaring. Their prey includes butterflies, flies, beetles, and bugs.

Somehow, crab spiders seem to take on the colors of flowers on which they sit. It is only against the neutral background of automotive carpeting that the true jade-green colors of this spider really stand out.

Like all spiders, crab spiders go through a simple metamorphosis.  Young crab spiders hatch from eggs and look like tiny adults.  They shed their skin as they grow. Most live for less than 1 year. Females produce hundreds of eggs in the fall, and the offspring hatch in the spring.

Crab Spider
Crab Spider
Misumenoides sp
Crab Spider
Crab spider
Misumenoides formocipes
Crab Spider
Crab Spider
Xysticus sp.
Crab Spider
Crab Spider
Synema sp

Insects & Spiders Home | Spiders Graphics | Spiders Index | Hymenoptera Index | Beetles Index | Butterflies

References
  1. Paul Hillyard, Private Life of Spiders (New Holland Publishers Ltd, 2007).

Custom Search

© Red Planet Inc. Oregon, Illinois