goldenrod crab spider
(Misumena vatia)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
Goldenrod crab spider is the most abundant of the flower spiders. On goldenrods or yellow daisies its coloring may change to yellow. |
Size |
Female Body Length: 5 ⁄16″ to ⅜″ Male Body Length: ⅛″ to 3 ⁄16″ Legspan: 5 ⁄16″ to ¾″ |
Web |
Similar Species |
Habitat |
Meadows, fields, and gardens with white or yellow flowers. |
Biology |
Season |
Summer |
Behavior |
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Life Cycle |
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Food |
Flower-visiting insects, such as flies, butterflies, grasshoppers, and especially bees. |
Distribution |
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Sources 7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82. |
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| 5/21/2024 | ||
Occurrence |
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Common and widespread |
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Taxonomy |
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Class |
Arachnida (arachnids) |
Order |
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Suborder |
Araneomorphae (typical spiders) |
Infraorder |
Entelegynae |
Superfamily |
Thomisoidea (crab and running crab spiders) |
Family |
Thomisidae (crab spiders) |
Subfamily |
Thomisinae |
Tribe |
Misumenini |
Genus |
Misumena (flower crab spiders) |
Subordinate Taxa |
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Synonyms |
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Aranea 4-lineata Aranea albonigricans Aranea calicina Aranea calycina Aranea citrea Aranea citrina Aranea cretata Aranea hasselquistii Aranea kleinii Aranea osbekii Aranea quinquepuncata Aranea scorpiformis Aranea sulphereoglobosa Aranea sulphurea Aranea uddmanni Aranea virginea Araneus vatius Misumena calycina Misumena citrea Misumena oblonga Misumena occidentalis Misumenops vatia Pachyptile devia Thomisus calycinus Thomisus citreus Thomisus cucurbitinus Thomisus dauci Thomisus devius Thomisus fartus Thomisus phrygiatus Thomisus pratensis Thomisus quadrilineatus Thomisus scorpiformis Thomisus spinipes Thomisus vatius Thomisus viridis |
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Common Names |
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flower spider goldenrod crab spider goldenrod spider red-spotted crab spider |
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Visitor Photos |
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Share your photo of this arachnid. |
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Dan W. Andree |
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Crab Spider Twin Valley Prairie SNA... |
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Goldenrod Crab Spider 7-5-22... It was on these flowers in a grassy area near a pond in Norman Co. Mn. 7-5-22… I photographed and filmed it since it was colorful and really interesting. Some crab spiders can be really pretty even though they are quite the little predators. |
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Michael Towne |
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Della Custer |
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| Spider camouflage |
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Terry Dwayne |
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golden rod crab spider flower spider breeding in mass in my garden and apiary as I'm a beekeeper |
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Anya H. |
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| Found by the side of a lake |
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Ken Vargas |
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Alfredo Colon |
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Lisa Lokken |
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| found it in my garden with a fly’s head in it’s fangs! |
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Molly and Robert Power |
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Greg Watson |
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| male Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia |
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DotieC57 |
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Jocelyne D. |
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| First time seen in our backyard, interesting critters. |
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Jen Taylor |
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| Flowers just purchased from Lowe’s |
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Leesa Kolstad |
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Mark Gullickson |
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| around on yellow coneflower |
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Cindy Hakala |
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| second sighting this summer, both in my backyard. Thanks! |
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Tracey Klocek |
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Golden Rod Crab Spider Hi, I just had one of these land on me! |
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Tiffany Howell |
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| Goldenrod crab spider in Chengwatana State Park. |
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Bill Reynolds |
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| While hunting on Prairie Rose this White Crab Spider turned up it's nose, so to speak, and walked away from the Carrion Beetle. I guess it pays to stink a little. |
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Tom Baker |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) |
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Misumena vatia (Goldenrod Crab Spider) |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this arachnid. |
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Other Videos |
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pająk kwietnik (Misumena vatia) (flower spider with his victim) |
About
Uploaded on Jul 21, 2011 2011.07.21 Delfina, Polska |
Misumena vatia |
About
Uploaded on Jun 26, 2011 Паук-засадник мизумена косолапая и мелкая букашка, которой он был бы совсем не прочь полакомиться. |
Běžník kopretinový - Misumena vatia - pestrenka P7089278.MOV |
About
Published on Jul 8, 2012 V Liberci na louce jsem objevil běžníka tak jsem si udelal par fotek a doslo i na video, natoceno Olympus OM-D E-M5 sigma 105mm 1:2 8 DG macro, bohuzel jsem nemel sebou stativ tak je to natoceno pouze z ruky, nenasel jsem ani kus klacku ktery bych pouzil jako monopod. Pekny den vsem |
Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this arachnid. |
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This button not working for you? |
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| Dan W. Andree 7/2/2024 |
Location: Twin Valley Prairie SNA Crab Spider Twin Valley Prairie SNA... |
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Michael Towne |
Location: Bellingham Washington |
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Della Custer |
Location: Mountain Iron, MN Spider camouflage |
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Terry Dwayne |
Location: UK, Somerset, Bridgwater breeding in mass in my garden and apiary as I'm a beekeeper |
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| Anya H. 7/5/2023 |
Location: Lake County, MN Found by the side of a lake |
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| Alfredo Colon 6/7/2021 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
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| Lisa Lokken 7/14/2022 |
Location: Duluth, MN found it in my garden with a fly’s head in it’s fangs! |
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| Dan W. Andree 7/5/2022 |
Location: Norman Co. Mn. It was on these flowers in a grassy area near a pond in Norman Co. Mn. 7-5-22… I photographed and filmed it since it was colorful and really interesting. Some crab spiders can be really pretty even though they are quite the little predators. |
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| Molly and Robert Power 6/21/2022 |
Albany, MN |
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| Alfredo Colon 6/3/2021 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
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| Greg Watson 6/12/2022 |
Location: Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent, MN male Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia |
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| DotieC57 7/10/2021 |
Location: Rushford, NY 14777 |
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| Jocelyne D. 6/25/2021 |
Location: West Enfield, Maine First time seen in our backyard, interesting critters. |
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| Jen Taylor 6/21/2021 |
Location: in Wasilla Alaska Flowers just purchased from Lowe’s |
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| Ken Vargas 9/11/2020 |
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan |
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| Mark Gullickson 8/16/2020 |
Location: Fertile, MN - Polk County around on yellow coneflower |
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| Tracey Klocek 7/31/2019 |
Location: Duluth, MN second sighting this summer, both in my backyard. Thanks! |
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| Tracey Klocek 6/20/2018 |
Location: Ranier, MN, Koochoching County Hi, I just had one of these land on me! |
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| Tiffany Howell 7/15/2017 |
Location: Chengwatana State Forest |
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| Bill Reynolds 8/30/2015 |
Location: Pennington County, MN While hunting on Prairie Rose |
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| Bill Reynolds 7/7/2005 |
Location: St. Louis Co. |
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| Bill Reynolds 7/1/2005 |
Location: St. Louis Co. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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