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Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757)
Flower Crab Spider; Goldenrod Crab Spider; Goldenrod Crab Spider
Family: Thomisidae

Introduction to the Spiders of BC

Photograph

© Robert Nowland     (Photo ID #43653)

Map

E-Fauna BC Static Map

Distribution of Misumena vatia in British Columbia in British Columbia

Introduction


This species has a holarctic distribution. Wikipedia provides the following information on this species: "Young males in the early summer may be quite small and easily overlooked, but females can grow up to 10 mm (excluding legs); males reach 5 mm at most...These spiders may be yellow or white, depending on the flower in which they are hunting. Especially younger females, which may hunt on a variety of flowers such as daisies and sunflowers, may change color "at will". Older females require large amounts of relatively large prey to produce the best possible clutch of eggs. They are therefore, in North America, most commonly found in goldenrod (Solidago sp.), a bright yellow flower which attracts large numbers of insects, especially in autumn." (Wikipedia 2011).

Read about reproduction in this species in an article by Robb Bennett and Brian Klinkenberg (scroll down to page 144).

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
NativeSNRNo StatusNot Listed



BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

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