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The Ground Crab Spider wanders around, walking in all directions if it has to, until it can pounce on an unsuspecting insect victim.
Crab Spiders get their name from their resemblance to the crustacean. Their crab-like appearance stems from the slightly longer sets of front legs than back legs. Ground Crab Spiders are able to walk sideways and backwards as well as forward, meaning their behavior as well as their morphology mimics crabs. Not all spiders can maneuver like this one.
Ground Crab Spiders are brown and covered in speckles and fine hairs. They sit on flowers and leaves, ambushing their prey as it visits the plant; they are not ones to build a web and wait around for a meal. They do, however, make and use spider silk. Males use silk to gently secure females before mating. Females lay fertilized eggs in silken sacs that they guard until spiderlings hatch. Typically found foraging through leaf litter or low-growing plants, resting butterflies, bees, flies and beetles are all edible targets for Ground Crab Spiders. The strong front legs are used to grab the insect and then it is quickly bitten and immobilized.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Arachnida
Order:Araneae
Family:Thomisidae
Genus:Xysticus
Species:spp.
Identifying Information
Scientific Name: Xysticus spp.
Category:
Spider
Size (Adult; Length): 3mm to 9mm (0.12in to 0.35in)
Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.
Spider Anatomy
1
Legs: Spiders have four pairs of legs and these are attached to the cephalothorax.
2
Pedipalps: Small appendages near the mouth used as taste and smell organs.
3
Cephalothorax: Contains eyes, head, mouthparts, and legs.
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Abdomen: Contains various organs related to digestion, reproduction, and web-making.
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Spinnerets: Used in the production of spider silk for fashioning webs or catching prey.
NOTE: Unlike insects, spiders have both an endoskeleton (internal) and exoskeleton (external).
Colors: brown; black; red; tan
