Thomisidae  

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Predation:

Crab spiders' main defense is their camouflage. They will hide or drop away from predators if they can. They can bite other invertebrates, but this doesn't work against vertebrate predators.

Known Predators:

  • Hymenoptera
  • Formicidae
  • Araneae
  • Aves
  • Squamata
  • Soricidae
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Thomisidae/

Associations:

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Animal / predator / stocks nest with
female of Dipogon bifasciatus stocks nest with Thomisidae

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorBioImages, BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK)
Sourcehttp://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/Thomisidae.htm

Communication and Perception:

We don't know very much about how these spiders communicate. They probably use sight, touch, and smell.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Thomisidae/

Development:

Females lay eggs. The spiderlings that hatch out look like mini-adults. As they grow they have to shed their skins, but they do not change their general shape.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Thomisidae/

Lifespan/Longevity:

In cold climates the adults of this species usually die when winter comes, so probably live one year or less. In tropical climates they may live longer.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Thomisidae/

Reproduction:

We don't know very much about reproduction in this group.

Breeding season: Varies between species, not during cold months.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; year-round breeding ; sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

Females protect their eggs by putting them in a sack made of silk and guarding them.

Parental Investment: female parental care

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Rights holder/Author©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
Sourcehttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Thomisidae/

Statistics of barcoding coverage:

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:3400
Specimens with Sequences:3056
Specimens with Barcodes:3009
Species:249
Species With Barcodes:223
Public Records:1020
Public Species:109
Public BINs:125

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Sourcehttp://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=1336

The spider family Thomisidae (crab spiders) has a worldwide distribution and includes 2166 described species, ranking it among the few most species-rich spider families (Platnick 2014). Of this diversity, 130 species are known from North America north of Mexico, with many of these species found in the southwest, although at least one is truly arctic and several others are found in subarctic/alpine tundra. Around half of the North American species are in the genus Xysticus.  (Dondale 2005; Bradley 2013).

Some thomisids are associated with flowers whereas others are found on vegetation or in leaf litter or on the ground. Their typically compact, globose bodies with relatively short, thick legs and a crab-like laterigrade posture (i.e., the legs extend sidewise and the femora, especially, are twisted so that the front surface faces up) makes thomisids generally easy to recognize as such. The first pair of legs is often armed with heavy raptorial spines that are used in prey capture. Like most spiders, thomisids have eight eyes. The lateral eyes are typically situated on prominent pale tubercles and are often larger than the median eyes. Flattened thomisids in the genus Coriarachne live in crevices beneath loose treee bark but can also be found on fence posts and wooden buildings. Flower-inhabiting thomisids (Misumena, Minumenoides, Misumenops) ambush pollinating insects. Some of these spiders can slowly change their color to match the background. The ecology of one species, Misumena vatia, has been thoroughly studied by Douglass Morse and colleagues (Morse 2007). Dondale (2005) provides an overview of the taxonomic history of thomisids in Nort America north of Mexico.

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorLeo Shapiro, Leo Shapiro
SourceNo source database.

Barcode data:

Access Published & Released Data: Download FASTA File

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Rights holder/AuthorSujeevan Ratnasingham, Paul D.N. Hebert, Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD)
Sourcehttp://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=1336

ThomisidaeAnimalia

Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833

LicensePublic Domain
Rights holder/AuthorNo known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
Sourcehttp://treatment.plazi.org/id/6DA0B69ECBB3BE6DFBC6DC0C573F544B
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith