Misumenoides formosipes
Encyclopedia
Misumenoides formosipes is a species
of crab spider
. The species' unofficial common name
is white banded crab spider, which refers to a white line than runs through the plane of their eyes.
s as they visit the inflorescence
s on which the spider sits. The spider has strong front legs which are used to seize prey. The female spider is much larger than the male. The length of females is 5–11.3 mm (0.196850393700787–0.44488188976378 ) and the length of males is 2.5–3.2 mm (0.0984251968503937–0.125984251968504 ). The pattern of markings on females is variable and the overall color of the body can change between white and yellow dependent on the color of their surroundings. The color pattern for males, which does not change in their lifetime, differs from females in that the four front legs of males are dark brown and the abdomen is gold. The spider can be found throughout the United States
. Males search for sedentary females within a heterogeneous habitat.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of crab spider
Crab spider
Crab spider is a common name applied loosely to many species of spiders, but most nearly consistently to members of the family Thomisidae...
. The species' unofficial common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
is white banded crab spider, which refers to a white line than runs through the plane of their eyes.
Description
This species is a sit-and-wait predator that captures pollinatorPollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s as they visit the inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s on which the spider sits. The spider has strong front legs which are used to seize prey. The female spider is much larger than the male. The length of females is 5–11.3 mm (0.196850393700787–0.44488188976378 ) and the length of males is 2.5–3.2 mm (0.0984251968503937–0.125984251968504 ). The pattern of markings on females is variable and the overall color of the body can change between white and yellow dependent on the color of their surroundings. The color pattern for males, which does not change in their lifetime, differs from females in that the four front legs of males are dark brown and the abdomen is gold. The spider can be found throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Males search for sedentary females within a heterogeneous habitat.