Thomisidae
(Crab Spiders)

Picture ID 207213

Comments & ID Thoughts

No idea! It was found today on a wild daisy in our lower field, Yamhill County, Oregon, a few miles SW of McMinnville. Startled by the pink spots on her back.

Submitted by:
kathleenverigin
Submitted: Jun 6, 2026
Photographed: Jun 6, 2026
Spider: Thomisidae (Crab Spiders)
Location: McMinnville, Oregon, United States
Spotted Outdoors: On Flower
Found in web?: No
Attributes:

2 Comments

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TangledWeb

Moderator

June 7, 2026 1:32 am

She’s probably Misumena vatia, a Goldenrod Crab Spider. I can’t tell her apart from a couple of other species from this angle. The Flower Crab Spiders are very cool! Her goal is to look like part of a plant where an insect might go. They align their body outline with the shape of the surface they’re on. The abdomen can be a “petal” or leaf. The legs are posed as pedicels or stalks. Even cooler is that they can change their colors to match what they’re on. The markings and the body can change separately. Her range is light green,… Read more »

Deemox

Reply to TangledWeb

June 8, 2026 9:30 am

I believe some scientists did an experiment on a similar creature, orchid praying mantises, where they had two flowers, one with a mantis and one without, and they found that bugs went to the flowers with mantises on them more often than the normal flowers, which means that they look more like flowers than the actual flowers, which is true, orchid mantises are incredibly beautiful.