Arachnids · Araneae · Oxyopidae

Striped Lynx Spider

Oxyopes lineatus

Not Evaluated

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

A lynx spider with a slender body and legs bristling with long black spines, and dark lengthwise lines on the back. It spins no web to hunt: it stalks over vegetation and pounces on its prey with a cat-like agility, which is what gives it its name.

Size

up to 0.9 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

16countries

Fun facts

Its eight eyes are set in a strongly raised hexagon that gives it almost all-round vision, uncommon among hunting spiders.
The long spines on its legs form a cage that holds the prey at the moment of the pounce.
The female fixes the egg sac to a plant and guards it until hatching, barely feeding at all.
It is a lynx spider: it hunts by running and leaping over vegetation, without spinning a web, and its legs are covered in long, bristling spines that form a cage to hold its prey.
Its eyes are arranged in a highly distinctive hexagon, which identifies it instantly within the family.
Other species in the genus can spit venom at a distance in defence, a behaviour documented in North American lynx spiders.
The female fastens her egg sac to the vegetation and guards it without leaving its side, even giving up feeding.
It is a useful predator in Mediterranean crops, where it consumes pests of herbaceous plants.