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Thomisidae
(Crab Spiders)

Picture ID 60432

Picture of Thomisidae (Crab Spiders) - Dorsal

Comments & ID Thoughts

Small spider. This was taken with magnifying lense.

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Adele

This looks like one I saw recently!

TangledWeb

Cool! It’s a young crab spider, possibly genus Mecaphesa. They can change color to match their surroundings, but I think it takes a juvenile longer because they change colors with molts. The adults change color by shifting the location of chemicals in the body.

Adele

Wow! Thanks for taking the time to let me know, that’s so interesting! Do you think the picture I have up that was identified as a feather legged orb weaver may be one of these? Orb weaver didn’t seem right to me in the first place but I didn’t know enough to question it.

TangledWeb

Itsy Bitsy is our Site Moderator. She has at least ten years more experience doing this than I do. She is very thorough and knowledgeable about her identifications. It is okay to question our identifications, we don’t take it personally and sometimes we’re wrong. We don’t mind explaining how we reached our conclusions. Yes, they are definitely different types of spiders in your photos. The main difference is that the crab spider hunts without a web and orb weavers have elaborate big very strong webs. Different types of spiders also have characteristic postures for hunting, resting, defense, and offense. The… Read more »

Adele

Thanks again! Loving all the info, I’ll have to keep looking into it! And searching around for spiders of course, it’s cool to know that even two so similar aren’t the same kind! I can’t believe I used to be so nervous about these creatures. This site has definitely piqued my interest.

TangledWeb

Awesome! This site got me interested in spiders too. When I travel now, I make plans to search for spiders. It’s a good way to get some ‘alone time’ too, nobody wants to go on spider safaris with me. 😉

TangledWeb

That’s a good question. We would love for that to happen, kinda an universal dream, but it is technically unlikely. I’m a stamp collector and I have achieved the universal collector dream of finding an example of a never documented stamp that was expertised and was given its own catalog number. That is similar, but an easier process than proving that you found an undocumented species. I think a new species has to be studied with physical specimens, possibly of both genders and varying developmental ages. Genetic testing may be done now. All named species have to be ruled out.… Read more »

Additional Pictures

Picture of Thomisidae (Crab Spiders) - Dorsal Enlarge Picture
Picture of Thomisidae (Crab Spiders) - Dorsal Enlarge Picture
Picture of Thomisidae (Crab Spiders) - Dorsal Enlarge Picture
Picture of Thomisidae (Crab Spiders) Enlarge Picture