Crab spiders
Ozyptila praticola
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Superfamily: Thomisoidea Family: Thomisidae Sundevall, 1833
Diversity
170 genera, > 2,000 species
Genera
Amyciaea Aphantochilus Coriarachne Diaea Heriaeus Misumena Misumenoides Misumenops Ozyptila Pistius Rejanellus Runcinia Synema Thomisus Tmarus Xysticus many others

Crab spiders make up the Thomisidae family of the Araneae order. Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings They are called crab spiders because they resemble crabs, with two front pairs of legs angled outward and bodies that are flattened and often angular. Also, like crabs, Thomisidae can move sideways or backwards. They are very maneuverable in tight places.

Crab spiders do not build webs to trap prey. They are hunters and ambushers. Some species sit on or among flowers, bark, fruit or leaves where they grab visiting insects. Misumena vatia is one of these. It can change its color between white and yellow to match the flower it sits on. Other species, with their flattened bodies, hunt in the crevices of tree trunks or under loose bark. Members of the genus Xysticus hunt in the leaf litter on the ground. In each case, crab spiders use their powerful front legs to grab and hold onto prey while paralyzing it with a venomous bite.

The spider family Aphantochilidae was incorporated into the Thomisidae in the late 1980s. Crab spiders make up the Thomisidae family of the Araneae order Aphantochilus species mimic Cephalotes ants, on which they prey. Cephalotes is a genus of ant species all sharing the same odd head style which tend to be mainly Arboreal, and all are Gliding ants with

The spiders of Thomisidae are not known to be harmful to humans. Spiders of an unrelated genus, Sicarius, also resemble crabs (and are sometimes referred to as "crab spiders"). Sicarius is a Genus of venomous Spiders the best known being the Six-eyed sand spider of southern Africa. Sicarius spiders, close cousins to the recluse spiders, are highly venomous. The recluse spiders (genus Loxosceles) also known as fiddle-back or violin spiders, are a venomous genus of spiders known for '''Spiders''' occasionally bite humans Although 98-99% of spider bites are harmless more rarely the symptoms of their bites can include necrotic wounds systemic

Contents 1 Systematics 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Systematics

Main article: List of Thomisidae genera

The following subfamilies are recognized:

• Aphantochilinae (3 genera)
• Bominae Ono, 1984 (9 genera)
• Dietinae (32 genera)
• Stephanopinae (35 genera)
• Stiphropodinae (3 genera)
• Strophiinae (8 genera)
• Thomisinae (67 genera)
• incertae sedis

• Ansiea Lehtinen, 2005
• Carcinarachne Schmidt, 1956
• Cozyptila Lehtinen & Marusik, 2005
• Ebelingia Lehtinen, 2005
• Facundia Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil)
• Fiducia Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil)
• Henriksenia Lehtinen, 2005
• Hexommulocymus Caporiacco, 1955
• Ledouxia Lehtinen, 2005
• Mastira Thorell, 1891
• Megapyge Caporiacco, 1947
• Modysticus Gertsch, 1953
• Rejanellus Lise, 2005
• Syphax Koch & Berendt, 1854 † (fossil)
• Tarrocanus Simon, 1895
• Taypaliito Barrion & Litsinger, 1995

There are 9 genera, containing 130 species of crab spiders in North America. This is a list of spider genera in the family Thomisidae (crab spiders Incertae sedis ( Latin for "of uncertain placement" abbreviated "inc

Gallery

Diaea dorsata	Misumenoides formocipes	Misumena vatia with wasp	Ozyptila atomaria
Runcinia acuminata	Misumena vatia	A crab spider is hiding in Iris	A crab spider in Iris
A crab spider on flower

See also

• List of Thomisidae species
• Spider families

References

• Biolib family Thomisidae
• Lise, A. Diaea dorsata is one of the smaller Crab spiders Females can grow up to 6  mm, males up to 4 mm Misumenoides is a Genus of Spiders in the family Thomisidae. Spiders in this family are commonly called "crab" or "flower" spiders Misumena vatia is a Species of Crab spider with Holarctic distribution Ozyptila atomaria is a species of Crab spider. It is very common on moist meadows of central Europe. Runcinia acuminata is a species of crab spiders. Females reach a body length of about 10  mm, males less than 6 mm Misumena vatia is a Species of Crab spider with Holarctic distribution See also the List of Thomisidae genera, which is sorted by subfamilies Spider taxonomy is the Alpha taxonomy of the Spiders members of the Araneae order of the arthropod A. (2005). Rejanellus, a new genus of Thomisidae (Araneae, Stephanopinae). Iheringia, Sér. Zool. 95(2):151-164. PDF

External links

• Crab Spider Misumenoides formocipes diagnostic photos
• Crab Spider Xysticus sp. photos and information
• Tmarus angulatus guarding her eggs
• Picture of Amyciaea albomaculata
• Pictures and text of crab spiders
• Photos of American Crab Spiders
• Photos and Info on Australian Crab Spiders
• Kentucky Crab Spiders Photos and Information
• Picture of Stephanopis championi
• Pictures of crab spiders (free for noncommercial use)

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