Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757)

goldenrod crab spider

Verified Images

Males

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Females

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How to Identify Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757)

Family: THOMISIDAE Sundevall, 1833

Genus: Misumena Latreille, 1804

Species: Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757)

Origin of Name: The Genus Misumena is Greek for "to hate", while the specific epithet vatia is Latin for "bow-legged".

Official Common Name: goldenrod crab spider

Males A = 1.43 mm  B = 1.57 mm  C = 1.46 mm

Females A = 3.03 mm  B = 4.97 mm  C = 2.97 mm

Can Be Confused With

Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757) can be confused with Misumenoides formosipes (Walckenaer, 1837) (whitebanded crab spider). The latter is found from California to Florida and northward to the Great Lakes. Females and males of M. formospides have a characteristic v-shaped marking on the dorsal surface of their abdomens (see below) and also have a white ridge on the front of the carapace, whereas M. vatia do not.

M. formosipes (Walckenear, 1837) female (image courtesy Tom Murray)	M. formosipes (Walckenaer, 1837) male (image courtesy Dept. Entomology, U. of Nebraska-Lincoln)

Range

California and Mexico to Florida, north to Alaska and Newfoundland and Labrador; Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

Other Web Pages

Animal Diversity Web (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Misumena_vatia.html)

The Nearctic Spider Database (http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/30580)