# Crab Spider (*Mecaphesa asperata*)

Crab Spiders are little flower hunters. They hold their long front legs open like claws and wait for insects to land.

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 4
- **Habitat:** Flowers and gardens
- **Also known as:** Flower Spider

![Crab Spider](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426767/objects/5573.jpg)

## Appearance

The Crab Spider has a crab-like shape, with two long front pairs of legs that are heavier and spinier than the back legs. It often holds them open like claws. A female is about 6 mm long, pale yellow or greenish, with dull red marks and short, stiff bristles. The male looks similar but is only about half as long.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Arachnida
- **Order:** Araneae
- **Family:** Thomisidae
- **Genus:** Mecaphesa

## Crab spider, up close

Crab spiders (family Thomisidae) are small hunting spiders that hold their long front legs open like a crab’s claws and wait on flowers to grab visiting insects. They don’t build webs to catch prey. The northern crab spider (Mecaphesa asperata), shown in the 3D model, is a bristly flower spider of North and Central America and the Caribbean. Its larger relative, the goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia), is famous for slowly changing between white and yellow.

Also called: northern crab spider, flower crab spider.

A bristly little flower spider that holds its front legs open like claws and waits for bees. Spin it, watch a relative turn from white to yellow, then test yourself.

### Special abilities

- **Slow Colour Swap** (10–25 days white → yellow (goldenrod crab spider)): The goldenrod crab spider, a relative of the spider in the model, can turn from white to yellow and back to match its flower. It is slow: turning yellow takes 10–25 days, and turning white about 6. [4][12][13][14][6][2]
  - The skin is see-through. White comes from guanine and uric acid inside the body, and yellow from tiny pigment granules (ommochromes) that build up in skin cells.
  - To turn white again, the spider breaks down its yellow granules and recycles parts of them in the same cells. That is faster than building new pigment.
  - Its eyes seem to be involved: their wide views can see the spider’s own body and the flower around it.
  - Only some crab spiders do this, such as Misumena and Thomisus. We found no study showing it in the northern crab spider.
  - How long the goldenrod crab spider takes to change colour: White → yellow 10–25 days; Yellow → white ≈6 days
- **Crab Stance** (2 pairs front legs held open): A crab spider sits still with its two long front pairs of legs spread wide, like open claws, ready to close on anything that lands. [2][1][15]
  - Holding the front two pairs of legs apart from the back two is one of the reasons for the name crab spider.
  - The front legs are longer, heavier and spinier than the back legs.
  - Bees seem to watch out for those legs. In one test, flowers with model crab spider legs got fewer bee visits than flowers with a model spider body alone.
- **Flower Ambush** (Head where prey is bitten): When an insect lands close enough, the spider snaps its spiny front legs shut and bites it near the head straight away. [1][4][11][16]
  - Prey includes honeybees, butterflies, flies and beetles, often bigger than the spider itself.
  - Goldenrod crab spiders attacked bumblebees more often but caught honeybees more often.
  - Young goldenrod crab spiders (7–15 mg) mostly struck small hoverflies (4 mg) on the head.
  - Waiting is hard work: in two summers, about 1 in 5 female goldenrod crab spiders could not catch enough to lay eggs.
- **Quick Venom** (Harmless to people): Venom glands feed the fangs. The venom works fast on insects, but flower spiders are not dangerous to people. [1][4][2]
  - Venom and digestive juices turn the insect’s insides into liquid that the spider sucks up.
  - The goldenrod crab spider’s fangs are reportedly too weak to get through human skin.
  - Some unrelated spiders called “six-eyed crab spiders” are venomous relatives of recluse spiders. They belong to a different family.
  - Never pick up a spider. Watching from close up is fine.
- **Bee’s-Eye Glow** (UV ultraviolet that bees can see; still debated): Bees see ultraviolet light, which people can’t. Some white crab spiders reflect it, so to a bee they may stand out on a flower. In Australian experiments, this seemed to lure honeybees in. [17][18][19][20][21][22]
  - Honeybees landed more often on daisies with white, UV-reflecting Australian crab spiders (Thomisus spectabilis). When scientists coated the spiders with a UV blocker, bees avoided those flowers.
  - A later test found the lure only worked for large spiders with strong UV. Bees also turned away when the spider moved.
  - For the goldenrod crab spider in the wild, matching the flower did not help it meet or catch more prey. Some visitors avoided spiders; bumblebees and honeybees mostly ignored them.
  - Seen from far away, goldenrod crab spiders are hard for bees and birds to spot, but up close they are often visible. Scientists still debate what the colours are for.
  - What predators on flowers do to pollinators (meta-analysis): Flower visits −36%; Time spent on flowers −51%
- **Leaf Nest Guard** (≈65% of her weight laid as eggs): A goldenrod crab spider mother folds a leaf into a little tent, lays one batch of eggs inside, seals it with silk and stands guard. [9][8][23][24]
  - She pulls the tip of a milkweed leaf underneath, ties it with silk and rests inside. A few days later she lays her eggs there.
  - Her egg mass weighs about 146 mg, roughly 65% of her weight before laying.
  - Guarding cuts down egg losses, mostly in the first half of nesting. While guarding she keeps losing weight.
  - The young leave nearly a month later, and the mother often dies soon after. Northern crab spiders also lay a single egg sac, in late May or June.
  - A goldenrod crab spider mother just before laying (≈220 mg): Egg mass ≈146 mg (65%)
- **Silk Balloon** (Minutes until some spiderlings fly off): Young goldenrod crab spiders leave the nest and may float away on silk threads in the breeze. This is called ballooning. [25][26]
  - Spiderlings leave by ballooning, by moving on threads between plants, or by walking.
  - From nests far from good hunting flowers, they often ballooned within minutes. On flowering goldenrod they stayed up to several days.
  - Crab spiders have even reached the Hawaiian Islands. 17 of 18 Hawaiian Mecaphesa species come from just one or two arrivals, possibly about 10 million years ago.
- **Sideways Scuttle** (3 ways forwards, backwards, sideways): Like a crab, a crab spider can scuttle sideways and backwards as well as forwards, slipping round the flower out of sight. [2][4][27]
  - This crab-like walk is one reason for the family’s name.
  - Crab spiders with flat bodies hunt in cracks in tree bark or shelter under loose bark.
  - Tiny males run from flower to flower looking for females. They move farther and more often than young females of the same size, and are often missing a leg or two.

### Body parts

- **Front legs** (2 pairs long, spiny grabbing legs) [1][2][3]
  - The first two pairs of legs are longer, heavier and spinier than the back two. They work like a trap that snaps shut on an insect.
  - All the legs curve forward in a crab-like way, which is where the name crab spider comes from.
  - In the northern crab spider, two segments of each front leg carry red rings.
- **Back legs** [1][2][4]
  - The two back pairs are shorter. They hold on to the flower while the front legs wait for prey.
  - Crab spiders can scuttle sideways and backwards as well as forwards, a bit like a crab.
- **Bristly body** (Spiny short stiff bristles all over) [3][5]
  - The northern crab spider’s body and legs are covered with many short, stiff spines. That is one way experts tell it from the smooth goldenrod crab spider.
  - In its genus, Mecaphesa, these stiff hairs are longer and easier to see than in close relatives, and they run over the whole back.
  - The area around the eyes is white.
- **Eyes** (8 eyes) [6][4]
  - Crab spiders have eight eyes. In the goldenrod crab spider, four of them look at the space straight ahead at the same time.
  - The two main eyes have a retina in three layers that can move. Scientists found at least two types of light sensors, including ones for green and ultraviolet light.
  - Their wide views even let them see their own legs and body, which may help them match the colour of a flower.
- **Fangs** (Fast venom for insects) [1][4]
  - A grabbed insect is bitten straight away near the head, and the venom works quickly.
  - Venom and digestive juices turn the insect’s insides into liquid, which the spider sucks up. It leaves an empty but life-like shell.
  - Flower spiders are not dangerous to people. The goldenrod crab spider’s fangs are reportedly too weak to get through human skin.
- **Abdomen** (≈6 mm adult female, legs not included) [7][3][8]
  - A female northern crab spider is about ¼ inch (≈6 mm) long. She is usually pale yellow, sometimes greenish, with dull red marks.
  - The front half of the abdomen has red streaks on the sides. The back half has a mottled brown to red-brown V-shaped mark.
  - In the goldenrod crab spider, a mother’s eggs can weigh about 65% as much as she did before laying them.
- **Palps** [7]
  - The palps are the short feelers beside the fangs.
  - An adult male’s palps are large. He uses them to pass sperm to a female.
  - Male northern crab spiders look like the females in colour and marks, but are only about half as long.
- **Spinnerets** [2][9][4]
  - Crab spiders don’t build webs to catch prey, but they still make silk for safety lines and for their young.
  - Goldenrod crab spider mothers use silk to seal a folded leaf around their eggs.
  - Females leave silk draglines as they move, and males follow them to find a mate.
- **Hunting flower** (2× more prey per day on milkweed (Misumena)) [1][10][11]
  - Usually only one flower spider sits on a flower at a time.
  - In Maine, goldenrod crab spiders stayed more than twice as long on milkweed as another crab spider did, and caught more than twice as much prey per day.
  - Choosing good flowers matters: females that often hunted on poor flower heads laid fewer eggs.
- **Prey** (34% of prey weight was honeybees (one Maine study)) [1][11][10]
  - Flower spiders catch honeybees, butterflies, flies and beetles that come for nectar.
  - Goldenrod crab spiders attacked bumblebees more often, but actually caught honeybees more often.
  - In one study on milkweed, honeybees made up about a third of the prey weight they caught. Moths were the next biggest share.

### Stats

| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Female body | ≈6 mm | northern crab spider, about ¼ inch [7] |
| Male body | ≈3 mm | about half the female’s length [7] |
| Goldenrod crab spider | 6–9 mm | females; males only 3–4 mm [4] |
| Male weight | ≈5 mg | adult male goldenrod crab spider (5.2 mg); A mother about to lay (≈220 mg) weighs about 40 times as much [27][8] |
| Egg mass | ≈65% | of a goldenrod crab spider mother’s weight [8] |
| White → yellow | 10–25 days | goldenrod crab spider; back to white ≈6 days [4][12] |
| Nest guarding | ≈1 month | until the young leave the folded leaf [8] |
| Heat limit | 45.1 °C | northern crab spider can still walk properly up to here [24] |
| Crab spider species | >2,100 | in about 170 genera worldwide [2] |
| Eyes | 8 | four look straight ahead at once (goldenrod crab spider) [6] |

### Photos

- [A young female northern crab spider. The fine bristles on its legs are easy to see.](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mecaphesa_asperata.jpg) (photo: AlaskaDave, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [A northern crab spider waiting on yarrow, Virginia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yarrow_-_Achillea_millefolium_with_Northern_Crab_Spider_-_Mecaphesa_asperata%2C_Merrimac_Farm_Wildlife_Management_Area%2C_Aden%2C_Virginia.jpg) (photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0)
- [Northern crab spider, Julie Metz Wetlands, Virginia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northern_Crab_Spider_-_Mecaphesa_asperata%2C_Julie_Metz_Wetlands%2C_Woodbridge%2C_Virginia_-_01.jpg) (photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0)
- [Northern crab spider, Meadowood Farm, Virginia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Day_306_-_Northern_Crab_Spider_-_Mecaphesa_asperata%2C_Meadowood_Farm_SRMA%2C_Mason_Neck%2C_Virginia.jpg) (photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0)
- [Northern crab spider in October, Virginia](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:288_365_-_Northern_Crab_Spider_-_Mecaphesa_asperata%2C_Rippon_Lodge%2C_Woodbridge%2C_Virginia%2C_October_16%2C_2023_(53264250968).jpg) (photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0)
- [A yellow goldenrod crab spider on a sunflower, Germany](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Krabbenspinne_Misumena_vatia_auf_Sonnenblume-20190727-RM-075353.jpg) (photo: Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [The white form of the goldenrod crab spider, Dorset, England](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White_female_misumena_vatia.JPG) (photo: Darth Newdar, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [A female goldenrod crab spider on yarrow](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Misumena_vatia_female_Luc_Viatour_1.jpg) (photo: Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [Face to face with a female goldenrod crab spider, France](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Misumena_vatia_portrait.jpg) (photo: Muséum de Toulouse, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [A tiny male goldenrod crab spider on feverfew, Belgium](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Misumena_vatia_%2B_Tanacetum_parthenium_06.2025_(1).jpg) (photo: DidierFy, CC BY-SA 4.0)

### Questions

- **Are crab spiders dangerous to humans?** No. Flower spiders are not dangerous to people, and the crab spider family is not known to be harmful. Their venom works on insects. Still, don’t pick them up, and tell an adult if anything bites you. [1][2][36]
- **Do crab spiders make webs?** Not to catch prey. Crab spiders ambush insects on flowers instead. They still make silk for safety lines, draglines and egg nests, and their young float away on silk. [2][9][25]
- **How do crab spiders change colour?** Only some can, such as the goldenrod crab spider. It builds yellow pigment granules in its skin cells to turn yellow, which takes 10–25 days, and breaks them down to turn white in about 6 days. [4][12][13][14]
- **What do crab spiders eat?** Insects that visit flowers, such as honeybees, bumblebees, moths, butterflies and flies. They often catch insects bigger than themselves. [1][11][10][4]
- **Why are they called crab spiders?** Because of their crab-like shape, the way they hold their long front legs apart from the back ones, and their ability to scuttle sideways or backwards. [2]
- **How big is a northern crab spider?** A female is about ¼ inch (≈6 mm) long, not counting her legs. A male is only about half as long. [7]
- **Where do northern crab spiders live?** In North and Central America and the Caribbean, usually on flowers where they wait for insects. [3]
- **Is a crab spider an insect?** No. Spiders are arachnids. They have eight legs, while insects have six. [28]

### Crab spider myths and facts

Crab spiders are famous for camouflage. Here is what the evidence says.

- "Crab spiders are insects." **Myth!** Spiders are arachnids, not insects. They have eight legs and belong to a different class of animals, as far from insects as birds are from fish. [28]
- "Crab spiders spin webs to catch their food." **Myth!** Crab spiders don’t build webs to trap prey. They ambush it. They still make silk for safety lines, draglines and egg nests. [2][9]
- "Crab spiders can change colour in seconds, like a chameleon." **Myth!** Only some crab spiders change colour, and slowly. The goldenrod crab spider takes 10–25 days to turn yellow and about 6 days to turn white. [2][4][12]
- "A crab spider’s eyes help control its colour change." **Fact!** The goldenrod crab spider’s eyes can see its own body and the flower around it, which strongly suggests vision is involved. In another crab spider, the background colour was the main trigger. [6][29]
- "Matching the flower’s colour helps a crab spider catch more prey." **Not proven!** In a field experiment, goldenrod crab spiders that matched their flower did not meet or catch more insects than ones that stood out. The colour may matter more for hiding from birds or for other reasons. [20][21]
- "Crab spiders are dangerous to people." **Myth!** Flower spiders are not dangerous to humans, and the family is not known to be harmful. The unrelated “six-eyed crab spiders” are a different family. [1][2]
- "Male crab spiders are much smaller than females." **Fact!** A male northern crab spider is about half as long as a female. A male goldenrod crab spider weighs about 5 mg, sometimes only 1% of a female full of eggs. [7][27]
- "Some crab spiders seem to attract bees with ultraviolet light." **Fact!** In experiments with an Australian crab spider, honeybees landed more often near white, UV-reflecting spiders. A later study found this only for large spiders, so scientists still debate how common it is. [17][19]

### Crab spider records

Big numbers and superlatives, each checked against its source.

- Tiny males: Goldenrod crab spider, ≈1% (an adult male can weigh no more than 1% of a female full of eggs) [27]
- All in on eggs: Goldenrod crab spider, ≈65% (of a mother’s weight goes into her single batch of eggs) [8]
- Heat-tough flower sitter: Northern crab spider, 45.1 °C (heat limit, high compared with most other spiders tested) [24]
- Island hoppers: Hawaiian Mecaphesa crab spiders, 17 of 18 (Hawaiian species descend from one or two arrivals, possibly about 10 million years ago) [26]
- Big family: Crab spiders (Thomisidae), >2,100 species (in about 170 genera, found worldwide) [2]

### A crab spider’s life

The northern crab spider in New Jersey, with nest details from its cousin, the goldenrod crab spider.

- **Mid-April to May**: Grown up. Northern crab spiders become adults in spring. [24]
- **Late May to June**: One egg sac. Each female lays a single egg sac. [24]
- **About a month**: Guarding. A goldenrod crab spider mother guards her folded-leaf nest until the young leave, nearly a month later. [8]
- **June to July**: Spiderlings out. Spiderlings come out. Some balloon away on silk; others walk to nearby flowers. [24][25]
- **Summer**: First hunts. Young crab spiders hunt small flies on flowers, often striking them on the head. [16]
- **Winter**: Waiting it out. Northern crab spiders spend the winter as nearly grown young. [24]
- **After the eggs**: The end of a mother. Goldenrod crab spider mothers often die soon after their young leave. [8]

### Crab spider vs garden spider vs jumping spider

Three common spiders with three very different ways of catching a meal.

| | Crab spider | Garden spider | Jumping spider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family [2][30][31] | Thomisidae | Araneidae (orb-weavers) | Salticidae |
| Species [2][30][31] | >2,100 in the family | One species, Araneus diadematus | About 7,000, the largest spider family |
| Female size [7][30] | ≈6 mm (northern crab spider) | 6.5–20 mm | Varies by species |
| Web to catch prey [2][30][31] | No | Yes, a round orb web | No, hunts by sight |
| How it hunts [1][30][31] | Waits on a flower and grabs visitors with its front legs | Waits in or near the web, then wraps prey in silk | Spots prey and makes agile jumps |
| Main hunting sense [6][30][31] | Eyes: four look ahead at once | Touch: a signal line from the web | Eyes: two huge front eyes, among the best in arthropods |

Sizes are body length without legs.

### Is the crab spider endangered?

There is no sign of that, but nobody has checked. Neither the northern nor the goldenrod crab spider has an IUCN Red List assessment.

- **IUCN Red List:** Not Evaluated (NE) (Trend unknown). The northern crab spider lives in North and Central America and the Caribbean. [32][33][3]
- Not evaluated (GBIF and Wikidata, checked 2026)
- **Threat: Fewer flying insects**: Spiders that rely on flying insects can decline when insects do. In Switzerland, garden spiders fell to under 1% of their old numbers. [34]
- **Threat: Too few good flowers**: Crab spiders need busy flowers. Goldenrod crab spiders on poor flower heads laid fewer eggs, and some years about 1 in 5 females caught too little to breed. [11]
- **Helping: Flowery gardens and meadows**: Flowering goldenrod and milkweed are good hunting grounds. Spiderlings stay longer where flowers are in bloom. [25][10]
- **Helping: Look, don’t move them**: Crab spiders choose their flowers carefully. Watching without touching lets them keep hunting. [11]
- **Goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia)** (NE): Not assessed. Found in Europe and North America. [35][4]

### Staying safe around crab spiders

Crab spiders are harmless to people. A few simple habits keep you and the spider safe.

- **Harmless** to people. Flower spiders are not dangerous to humans. Their venom is made for insects. [1][2]
- **Look** don’t touch. Watch from close up, but don’t pick a spider up or poke it. Never handle wild animals.
- **Name** mix-up. Some unrelated spiders are called “six-eyed crab spiders”. They are venomous cousins of recluse spiders, not flower spiders. [2]
- **Shake** gardening gloves. Shake out gloves, shoes and clothes left outside before you put them on. [36]
- **Wash** if bitten. Tell an adult. Wash the spot with soap and water, hold a cold, damp cloth on it and raise it if you can. [36]
- **Doctor** if worried. If a bite gets very painful or swollen, get medical advice. [36]

### Crab spider signals

- Sitting still on a flower, front legs spread wide: Waiting in ambush for a visiting insect. [2][1]
- Resting under a folded leaf tied with silk: A mother guarding her eggs. [9]
- A tiny spider running from flower to flower: Probably a male searching for a female. [27][4]
- A spiderling on a silk thread in the breeze: Ballooning away from the nest. [25]

### Looks

- **Northern crab spider, female**: About 6 mm long. Pale yellow or greenish with dull red marks: red streaks on the abdomen sides, a V-shaped mark behind and red rings on the front legs. Covered in short, stiff bristles. (Hunts on flowers and lays a single egg sac in late spring) [7][3][5][24]
- **Northern crab spider, male**: About half as long as the female, with similar colours and marks and large palps. In the goldenrod crab spider, males have brown or red front legs. (Roams from flower to flower looking for females) [7][4][27]
- **Goldenrod crab spider, yellow**: Female Misumena vatia, 6–9 mm long, bright yellow from pigment granules in the skin, often with red stripes on the sides. (Hunts on yellow flowers such as goldenrod) [4][13]
- **Goldenrod crab spider, white**: The same species in its white form. Turning white takes about 6 days; the white shows through a clear skin. (Young females often hunt on daisies and other pale flowers) [4][13]

### Crab spider quiz

1. What kind of animal is a crab spider? **An arachnid.** Spiders are arachnids, not insects. [28]
2. How many pairs of long, spiny front legs does a crab spider hold open? **Two.** The first two pairs are longer, heavier and spinier than the back two. [1]
3. How do crab spiders catch their prey? **By ambush, with no web.** Crab spiders don’t build webs to catch prey. They wait and grab. [2]
4. How long can a goldenrod crab spider take to turn from white to yellow? **10–25 days.** Turning yellow takes 10–25 days, because the spider has to build new pigment. [4][12]
5. Which colour change is faster? **Yellow to white.** Turning white takes about 6 days, much faster than turning yellow. [4]
6. What makes the goldenrod crab spider yellow? **Pigment granules in its skin cells.** Yellow comes from pigment granules (ommochromes) in skin cells. [13]
7. About how long is an adult female northern crab spider? **6 mm.** She is about ¼ inch, or about 6 mm, long without her legs. [7]
8. How much does an adult male goldenrod crab spider weigh? **About 5 mg.** Males weigh about 5 mg. A mother about to lay weighs about 40 times as much. [27][8]
9. Where does a goldenrod crab spider mother put her eggs? **Inside a folded leaf.** She folds the tip of a leaf under, ties it with silk and lays her eggs inside. [9]
10. About how much of her weight does she lay as eggs? **65%.** Her egg mass is about 65% of her weight before laying. [8]
11. How do young crab spiders travel far from the nest? **Ballooning on silk threads.** Spiderlings can float away on silk threads in the breeze, called ballooning. [25]
12. What kind of light can bees see that some white crab spiders reflect? **Ultraviolet.** Some white crab spiders reflect ultraviolet light, which bees can see. [17]

### Sources (checked 2026-10-16)

1. [Australian Museum. Flower Spiders.](https://australian.museum/learn/animals/spiders/flower-spiders/)
2. [Wikipedia. Thomisidae.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomisidae)
3. [Wikipedia. Mecaphesa asperata.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecaphesa_asperata)
4. [Wikipedia. Misumena vatia.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misumena_vatia)
5. [Lehtinen PT, Marusik YM (2008). A redefinition of Misumenops F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 (Araneae, Thomisidae) and review of the New World species. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 14:173–198.](https://archive.org/details/bulletin-british-arachnological-society-14-173-198)
6. [Insausti TC, Defrize J, Lazzari CR, Casas J (2012). Visual fields and eye morphology support color vision in a color-changing crab-spider. Arthropod Structure & Development 41:155–163.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2011.11.003)
7. [Comstock JH (1912). The Spider Book. Doubleday, Page & Co., New York.](https://archive.org/details/spiderbook027257mbp)
8. [Morse DH (1987). Attendance patterns, prey capture, changes in mass, and survival of crab spiders Misumena vatia (Araneae, Thomisidae) guarding their nests. Journal of Arachnology 15:193–204.](https://archive.org/details/biostor-214437)
9. [Morse DH (1985). Nests and nest-site selection of the crab spider Misumena vatia (Araneae, Thomisidae) on milkweed. Journal of Arachnology 13:383–390.](https://archive.org/details/biostor-214390)
10. [Morse DH (1983). Foraging patterns and time budgets of the crab spiders Xysticus emertoni and Misumena vatia (Araneae: Thomisidae) on flowers. Journal of Arachnology 11:87–94.](https://archive.org/details/biostor-208856)
11. [Fritz RS, Morse DH (1985). Reproductive success and foraging of the crab spider Misumena vatia. Oecologia 65:194–200.](https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379217)
12. [Oxford GS, Gillespie RG (1998). Evolution and ecology of spider coloration. Annual Review of Entomology 43:619–643.](https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.43.1.619)
13. [Insausti TC, Casas J (2008). The functional morphology of color changing in a spider: development of ommochrome pigment granules. Journal of Experimental Biology 211:780–789.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.014043)
14. [Insausti TC, Casas J (2009). Turnover of pigment granules: cyclic catabolism and anabolism of ommochromes within epidermal cells. Tissue & Cell 41:421–429.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tice.2009.05.002)
15. [Gonçalves-Souza T, Omena PM, Souza JC, Romero GQ (2008). Trait-mediated effects on flowers: artificial spiders deceive pollinators and decrease plant fitness. Ecology 89:2407–2413.](https://doi.org/10.1890/07-1881.1)
16. [Morse DH (1999). Location of successful strikes on prey by juvenile crab spiders Misumena vatia (Araneae, Thomisidae). Journal of Arachnology 27:171–175.](https://archive.org/details/biostor-215187)
17. [Heiling AM, Cheng K, Chittka L, Goeth A, Herberstein ME (2005). The role of UV in crab spider signals: effects on perception by prey and predators. Journal of Experimental Biology 208:3925–3931.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.01861)
18. [Heiling AM, Herberstein ME, Chittka L (2003). Crab-spiders manipulate flower signals. Nature 421:334.](https://doi.org/10.1038/421334a)
19. [Llandres AL, Rodríguez-Gironés MA (2011). Spider movement, UV reflectance and size, but not spider crypsis, affect the response of honeybees to Australian crab spiders. PLoS ONE 6:e17136.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0017136)
20. [Brechbühl R, Casas J, Bacher S (2010). Ineffective crypsis in a crab spider: a prey community perspective. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 277:739–746.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2009.1632)
21. [Defrize J, Théry M, Casas J (2010). Background colour matching by a crab spider in the field: a community sensory ecology perspective. Journal of Experimental Biology 213:1425–1435.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.039743)
22. [Romero GQ, Antiqueira PAP, Koricheva J (2011). A meta-analysis of predation risk effects on pollinator behaviour. PLoS ONE 6:e20689.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020689)
23. [Morse DH (1988). Relationship between crab spider Misumena vatia nesting success and earlier patch-choice decisions. Ecology 69:1970–1973.](https://doi.org/10.2307/1941174)
24. [Schmalhofer VR (1999). Thermal tolerances and preferences of the crab spiders Misumenops asperatus and Misumenoides formosipes (Araneae, Thomisidae). Journal of Arachnology 27:470–480.](https://archive.org/details/biostor-215209)
25. [Morse DH (1993). Some determinants of dispersal by crab spiderlings. Ecology 74:427–432.](https://doi.org/10.2307/1939304)
26. [Garb JE, Gillespie RG (2009). Diversity despite dispersal: colonization history and phylogeography of Hawaiian crab spiders inferred from multilocus genetic data. Molecular Ecology 18:1746–1764.](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04125.x)
27. [Sullivan HL, Morse DH (2004). The movement and activity patterns of similar-sized adult and juvenile crab spiders Misumena vatia (Araneae, Thomisidae). Journal of Arachnology 32:276–283.](https://archive.org/details/biostor-216925)
28. [Crawford R. Myth: Spiders are insects. Burke Museum, University of Washington.](https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/biology/arachnology-and-entomology/spider-myths/myth-spiders-are-insects)
29. [Llandres AL, Figon F, Christidès JP, Mandon N, Casas J (2013). Environmental and hormonal factors controlling reversible colour change in crab spiders. Journal of Experimental Biology 216:3886–3895.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.086470)
30. [Wikipedia. Araneus diadematus.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araneus_diadematus)
31. [Wikipedia. Jumping spider.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_spider)
32. [GBIF. Mecaphesa asperata (Hentz, 1847), IUCN Red List category.](https://www.gbif.org/species/6717741)
33. [Wikidata. Mecaphesa asperata (Q2700004).](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2700004)
34. [Nyffeler M, Bonte D (2020). Where have all the spiders gone? Observations of a dramatic population density decline in the once very abundant garden spider, Araneus diadematus (Araneae: Araneidae), in the Swiss Midland. Insects 11:248.](https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11040248)
35. [GBIF. Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757), IUCN Red List category.](https://www.gbif.org/species/2165951)
36. [CDC NIOSH. Venomous Spiders at Work.](https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/outdoor-workers/about/venomous-spiders.html)

## Measurements & details

- **Size:** 2-10 mm
- **Lifespan:** 60-365 days
- **Leg Count:** 8

## Diet & Feeding

Crab spiders are tiny hunters that love to eat other insects they catch on flowers!

- **Primary Foods:** bees, flies, butterflies, moths
- **Foraging Method:** Ambush

## Ecological connections

- **Hunts:** Honeybee (*Apis mellifera*) — Snatch bees visiting flowers for nectar.
- **Hunts:** Hoverfly (*Syrphus ribesii*) — Ambushes flies that land on flowers.
- **Eaten by:** [Great Tit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-tit) (*Parus major*) — Birds such as great tits may eat crab spiders in Europe.

## Traits

- [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.
- [Camouflaged](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/camouflaged): Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment.
- [Ambush Predator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ambush-predator): An ambush predator hunts by patiently waiting and concealing itself, then launching a sudden attack when unsuspecting prey comes within range.
- [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater.
- [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
- [Regenerative](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/regenerative): Regenerative organisms possess the ability to regrow lost or damaged body parts, tissues, or organs.

## Collections

- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects)
- [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects-and-bugs)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Do not touch or pick up. Crab spiders are not dangerous to people, but tell an adult if you get bitten.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Crab Spider?

Compare body proportions, leg shape, abdomen markings and the web, if there is one. Eye arrangement can be decisive but rarely shows up in a casual phone photo. A web is a supporting clue, not proof of who built it. Spider Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How big is Crab Spider?

2-10 mm

### How long does Crab Spider live?

60-365 days

### What does Crab Spider eat?

Crab spiders are tiny hunters that love to eat other insects they catch on flowers!

### Where is Crab Spider usually found?

Flowers and gardens

### How does Crab Spider hunt?

Ambush

### How many legs does Crab Spider have?

8

## Where to spot

- [Chanticleer Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chanticleer-garden) — Pennsylvania, US · Botanical Garden
- [Beverly Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/beverly-historic-district) — West Virginia, US · Historic District
- [Hagerstown Commercial Core Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hagerstown-commercial-core-historic-district) — Maryland, US · Historic District
- [Sioux County Courthouse](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sioux-county-courthouse) — Nebraska, US · Historic Site
- [South Prospect Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/south-prospect-street-historic-district) — Maryland, US · Historic District

[View all places to see Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/crab-spider)

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

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Source: [Crab Spider: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider)