Arachnids · Araneae · Thomisidae

Goldenrod Crab Spider

Misumena vatia

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

Misumena vatia is a fairly common crab spider across the Holarctic: Eurasia and North America. The male measures between 4 and 5 mm while the female reaches 10 mm. This species was described by the Swedish arachnologist Carl Alexander Clerck in 1757. The genus name Misumena comes from the Greek misoúmenus, meaning hated. The specific name vatia comes from the Latin, meaning bent outwards.

Size

up to 1 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

GrasslandCarnivore Diurnal Solitary Grassland Arachnid

8countries1same family

Fun facts

The female can change colour between white and deep yellow to match the flower she hunts on, a process taking several days one way and up to a couple of weeks the other.
Many insects see into the ultraviolet and would spot a spider that did not match the flower, so her camouflage works in that part of the spectrum too.
The male is far smaller and darker, and does not change colour.
It changes colour between white and yellow to blend into the flower where it hunts, which is exceptional among European spiders. It does so by moving a liquid pigment into the cuticle.
The change is not instant: it takes between six and twenty-five days, so it is a medium-term decision rather than reactive camouflage.
Only the females do it. The males, much smaller and darker, do not change colour.
It builds no hunting web: it is an ambush predator that grips its prey with the first two pairs of legs, far longer than the hind ones.
It takes prey considerably larger than itself, including bees and butterflies.
It was chosen as the first European Spider of the Year, in 2006.