| Xysticus cristatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female | |
 | |
| Female with prey | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Xysticus |
| Species: | X. cristatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Xysticus cristatus | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
List
| |
Xysticus cristatus, the common crab spider, [2] is a European spider from the family Thomisidae. [1]
The adults of Xysticus cristatus can reach a body length of about 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) in the female, of about 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) in the smaller male. [2] The colour varies from light cream, dark brown to greyish. It is much darker in males, with contrasting designs. [3] In both sexes the carapace shows a broad whitish median band containing a brown triangle facing the back and ending with a sharp, black apical macula. The dorsum (upper surface) of the opisthosoma has a dark leaf pattern with white edges and light transverse stripes on the right and left. [4] [5] This cryptic colouration is used to blend in with its normal environment of dried leaves. [6] The common name crab spider arises because they sometimes move in a crab-like way, from side to side. [3]
Xysticus cristatus is usually found in low vegetation, often on the ground. [2] It is shade intolerant and avoids woodland and closed canopy habitats but it is otherwise found in almost every habitat type. [7]
Xysticus cristatus is an ambush hunter which spends much time sitting still, with its fore-legs spread wide, waiting for insects to blunder into them. [3] In grass it adopts a flexible hunting position either at the tips of vegetation, such as flowerheads, or on the ground surface and as a result, the prey taken is varied and is made up of flying insects, including bees and butterflies.
When it hunts on the ground the food tends to consist of ants, spiders and other soft bodied prey. It often takes prey much larger than itself. [3] In Great Britain spiderlings balloon, most often between the months of July to September. Active adults have been recorded from February to December, with a peak of male activity in May and June. [7]
To mate the male grasps one of the female's legs, holding on until she ceases to struggle, he then uses silk to tie her down on the ground and then he crawls underneath her and mates. [2] After mating, female builds a flat white ovisac containing the developing eggs, usually fixed on the plants. Then the female sits on it to protect it, until a myriad of little spiders are released. [4]
In Britain Xysticus cristatus has been observed as a prey item for the spider wasp Dipogon bifasciatus . [8]
The species has a Palearctic distribution, [1] [9] being found throughout Europe (including Iceland) to South Siberia, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan. It has been introduced to Canada and United States. [10]
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.
Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary, and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders.
The zebra jumping spider is a common jumping spider of the Northern Hemisphere. Their common name refers to their vivid black-and-white colouration, whilst their scientific name derives from Salticus from the Latin for “dancing”, in reference to their agility, and the Greek scenicus, translating to “theatrical” or “of a decorative place,” in reference to the flashy, zebra-like coloration of the species.
The raft spider, scientific name Dolomedes fimbriatus, is a large semi-aquatic spider of the family Pisauridae found throughout north-western and central Europe. It is one of only two species of the genus Dolomedes found in Europe, the other being the slightly larger Dolomedesplantarius which is endangered in the UK.
Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider with a holarctic distribution. In North America, it is called the goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider, as it is commonly found hunting in goldenrod sprays and milkweed plants. They are called crab spiders because of their unique ability to walk sideways as well as forwards and backwards. Both males and females of this species progress through several molts before reaching their adult sizes, though females must molt more to reach their larger size. Females can grow up to 10 mm (0.39 in) while males are quite small, reaching 5 mm (0.20 in) at most. Misumena vatia are usually yellow or white or a pattern of these two colors. They may also present with pale green or pink instead of yellow, again, in a pattern with white. They have the ability to change between these colors based on their surroundings through the molting process. They have a complex visual system, with eight eyes, that they rely on for prey capture and for their color-changing abilities. Sometimes, if Misumena vatia consumes colored prey, the spider itself will take on that color.
The nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis is a spider species of the family Pisauridae.
Micrommata virescens, common name green huntsman spider, is a species of huntsman spiders belonging to the family Sparassidae.
Zygiella x-notata, sometimes known as the missing sector orb weaver or the silver-sided sector spider, is a spider species in the family Araneidae. They are solitary spiders, residing in daily-spun orb webs. Z. x-notata is a member of the genus Zygiella, the orb-weaving spiders. The adult female is easily recognized by the characteristic leaf-like mark on her posterior opisthosoma, caudal to the yellow-brown cephalothorax.
Larinioides sclopetarius, commonly called bridge-spider or gray cross-spider, is a relatively large orb-weaver spider with Holarctic distribution. These spiders are located in Europe and have been observed as south as the Mediterranean Coast and as north as Finland. They are often found on bridges, especially near light and over water. The species tends to live on steel objects and is seldom seen on vegetation. Females reach a body length of 10–14mm, and males 8–9mm. Their orb webs can have diameters of up to 70 cm.
Evarcha falcata is a species of 'jumping spiders' belonging to the family Salticidae.
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. The wasps do not constitute a clade, a complete natural group with a single ancestor, as bees and ants are deeply nested within the wasps, having evolved from wasp ancestors. Wasps that are members of the clade Aculeata can sting their prey.
Agelena labyrinthica is a species of spider in the family Agelenidae. It is a widespread species in Europe and its range extends to Central and East Asia.
Structures built by non-human animals, often called animal architecture, are common in many species. Examples of animal structures include termite mounds, ant hills, wasp and beehives, burrow complexes, beaver dams, elaborate nests of birds, and webs of spiders.
Dipogon bifasciatus is a spider wasp from the family Pompilidae.
Dipogon variegatus is a pompilid spider wasp in the subfamily Pepsinae from the Palearctic.
Anoplius nigerrimus is one of the most common spider wasps, or pompilids, in Europe. They are mostly black and the females are 6–8 mm long while males measure 5–8 mm. This species may be distinguished from the related Anoplius concinnus and Anoplius caviventris by the 20 setae, or hairs, on the forehead rather than 60 or 45.
Pepsis grossa is a very large species of pepsine spider wasp from the southern part of North America, south to northern South America. It preys on tarantula spiders, giving rise to the name tarantula hawk for the wasps in the genus Pepsis and the related Hemipepsis. Only the females hunt, so only they are capable of delivering a sting, which is considered the second most painful of any insect sting; scoring 4.0 on the Schmidt sting pain index compared to the bullet ant's 4.0+. It is the state insect of New Mexico. The colour morphs are the xanthic orange-winged form and the melanic black winged form. In northern South America, a third form, known as "lygamorphic", has a dark base to the wings which have dark amber median patches and a pale tip.
Xysticus ulmi, the swamp crab spider, is a European crab spider of the family Thomisidae which prefers damp habitats. It was first described by the German zoologist Carl Wilhelm Hahn in 1831.
Philodromus aureolus, the wandering crab spider, is a mainly European running crab spider of the family Philodromidae. The taxonomy of the species group named after Philodromus aureolus is in a state of flux and a number of new species have recently been recognised.
Tetragnatha montana, commonly known as the silver stretch spider, is a species of long-jawed orb weaver from the family Tetragnathidae that has a Palearctic distribution. It preys mostly on flies and mosquitoes. The name silver stretch spider refers to its shiny metallic colour and its habit of extending its legs into a stick like shape.
