Crab Spiders
Common crab spider (Xysticus cristatus)
Web: Crab spiders don’t make catching webs, but use their elongated first and second legs to overpower their prey. They are sit and wait predators, often well camouflaged and laying in an ambush to surprise passing prey.
Habitat: in many different environments such as grassland, on bushes and other low vegetation, rather in open habitats.
How to recognize:
- light to dark brown colour
- cephalothorax with clear dark triangle
- abdomen with a lighter pattern (in the shape of a pine tree)
Looks similar to:
- several other Xysticus species. Only close study with a stereomicroscope will allow for a certain identification.
Size
♀: 9-11 mm
♂: 3-4 mm
When?
♀: April till August
♂: April till August
Eurasian green crab spider (Diaea dorsata)
German name: Grüne Krabbenspinne
Web: Crab spiders don’t make catching webs, but use their elongated first and second legs to overpower their prey. They are sit and wait predators, often well camouflaged and laying in an ambush to surprise passing prey.
Habitat: on leaves of bushes and trees.
How to recognize:
- lightly coloured abdomen with clearly delineated dark figure in the shape of a leaf. Lighter spots in leaf figure (sometimes absent)
- ♀: cephalothorax and legs light green
- ♂: cephalothorax yellow to green, first two leg pairs with dark bands.
Looks similar to:
- Triangle crab spider, but the dark drawing on the back of the abdomen has a different shape (often an incomplete triangle).
Size
♀: 5-7 mm
♂: 3-4 mm
When?
♀: May till June
♂: May till June
Goldenrod spider (Misumena vatia)
Web: Crab spiders don’t make catching webs, but use their elongated first and second legs to overpower their prey. They are sit and wait predators, often well camouflaged and laying in an ambush to surprise passing prey.
Habitat: in sunny environments such as grassland, forest edges, but also gardens. Is very often found on flowers.
How to recognize?
- ♀: colour variable: white to yellow to greenish, sometimes with red stripes
- ♂: cephalothorax brown to black
- ♂: abdomen white with two dark length stripes.
Looks similar to:
- This species is hard to confuse with any other species when observed in detail.
Size
♀: 9-11 mm
♂: 3-4 mm
When?
♀: May till August
♂: May till August
Ozyptila praticola
Web: Crab spiders don’t make catching webs, but use their elongated first and second legs to overpower their prey. They are sit and wait predators, often well camouflaged and laying in an ambush to surprise passing prey.
Habitat: on the ground, in leaf litter or sometimes on low vegetation in gardens, parcs, forest,…
How to recognize:
- dark brown colour
- cephalothorax with clear black drawing with lighter mid band
- abdomen with vague drawing, often with two clearly noticeable dark stripes, going from the middle to the sides.
- legs dark annulated
Looks similar to:
- several other Ozyptila species, only detailed study of the reproductive structures with a stereomicroscope will allow for a certain identification.
Size
♀: 3-5 mm
♂: 2,5-3 mm
When?
♀: April till September
♂: April till September
