Grass crab spiders | |
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A female green grass crab spider, O. argenteooculata, on a Cussonia leaf | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Thomisidae |
Genus: | Oxytate L.Koch, 1878 |
Type species | |
Oxytate striatipes L.Koch, 1878 | |
Diversity | |
30 species | |
Synonyms | |
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The genus Oxytate, commonly known as grass crab spiders, [1] comprises a homogenous group of nocturnal crab spiders (family Thomisidae). [2] The complete mitochondrial genome of the type species O. striatipes was determined in 2014. [3]
Although they do not construct webs, both sexes possess a silk apparatus. A study of the type species, O. striatipes, revealed that they possess a simpler and more primitive spigot system than other members of the family, as even the females possess neither tubuliform glands for cocoon production, nor triad spigots for web-building. Males and females do however have three types of silk gland, which are classified as ampullate, pyriform and aciniform. [4]
Four ampullate glands are connected to the anterior spinnerets, while eight minor ampullate glands are connected to the median spinnerets. The pyriform glands are connected to the anterior spinnerets (90 in females and 80 in males). The aciniform glands are connected to the median (18–24 in females and 14–20 in males) and posterior spinnerets (60 in either sex). [4]
Green crab spiders are very helpful to honeybee and plants to interact. Oxytate has an ability to reflect UV lights which makes flowers more attractive to honeybees. And by attracting honeybees, it is captured in a trap of crab spiders. [5]
Like other crab spiders, they are masters of ambush and disguise. [1] They stalk their prey at night, from an ambush position on a grass stem or from the underside of a leaf. They can sense the vibrations caused by invertebrates moving on the leaf's upper side, and quickly pounce on the victim. [6] While in ambush on twigs or grass, the short hind legs hold onto the stem, while the long anterior legs are stretched forward. [1] Their bite is not harmful to humans, unless it would cause an allergic reaction. [7]
They are native to Asia, Western Australia, East, Central and southern Africa. [8]
As of November 2022 [update] it contains 30 species:
The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of this family are also known as flower spiders or flower crab spiders.
Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae, the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe, and common genera include Gnaphosa, Drassodes, Micaria, Cesonia, Zelotes and many others. They are closely related to Clubionidae. At present, no ground spiders are known to be seriously venomous to humans.
Philodromidae, also known as philodromid crab spiders and running crab spiders, is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Tord Tamerlan Teodor Thorell in 1870. It contains over 500 species in thirty genera.
Misumena is a genus of crab spiders sometimes referred to as flower crab spiders. They are similar in appearance to several other genera in the family Thomisidae, such as Misumenoides and Mecaphesa.
Xysticus is a genus of ground crab spiders described by C. L. Koch in 1835, belonging to the order Araneae, family Thomisidae. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek root xyst, meaning "scraped, scraper".
Thanatus is a genus of false crab spiders described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837, belonging to the order Araneae, family Philodromidae.
Drassodes is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Niklas Westring in 1851. They are brown, gray, and red spiders that live under rocks or bark in mostly dry habitats, and are generally 3.8 to 11.6 millimetres long, but can reach up to 20 millimetres (0.79 in) in length.
Pistius is a genus of crab spiders with nine described species. Most occur in Asia, only P. truncatus has a palaearctic distribution.
Runcinia is a genus of crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1875. The former R. elongata is a synonym of Thomisus elongatus.
Thomisus is a genus of crab spiders with around 142 species described. The genus includes species that vary widely in their ecology, with some that are ambush predators that feed on insects visiting flowers. Like several other genera in the family Thomisidae, they are sometimes referred to as flower crab spiders, from their crab-like motion and their way of holding their front legs, reminiscent of a crab spreading its claws as a threat.
Tibellus is a genus of slender crab spiders described by Simon in 1875, belonging to the order Araneae, family Philodromidae. Species of this genus are present in Eurasia, Africa, Americas and Australia.
Oxyopes is a genus of lynx spiders found worldwide. It includes arounds 300 species and is classified under the lynx spider family Oxyopidae. Like other lynx spiders, they are easily recognizable by the six larger eyes arranged hexagonally on top of the head (prosoma), with the remaining smaller two eyes in front. They are also characterized by long spine-like bristles (setae) on their legs. They are ambush predators, actively hunting prey by sight. Though they produce and use silk, they do not build webs to capture prey.
Epidius is a genus of crab spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1877. It is a senior synonym of Pothaeus.
Monaeses is a genus of crab spiders in the family Thomisidae, containing twenty seven species.
Angaeus is a genus of Asian crab spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1881. It is considered a senior synonym of Paraborboropactus.
Camaricus is a genus of crab spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1887.
Ebrechtella is a genus of crab spiders that was first described by Friedrich Dahl in 1907.
Mastira is a genus of spiders in the family Thomisidae. It was first described in 1891 by Tamerlan Thorell. As of 2017, it contains 10 species.
Spiracme is a genus of crab spiders erected by Anton Menge in 1876 to contain S. striata, transferred from Xysticus. The exact relationship of these spiders and their closest relatives has been long debated, and many included species have been transferred to and from similar genera, namely Xysticus and Ozyptila. Most recently, Rainer Breitling conducted a DNA barcoding study in 2019 and grouped similar species based on the results: