goldenrod crab spider

(Misumena vatia)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

 
goldenrod crab spider
Photo by Mark Gullickson
 
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

Male Body Length: 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

 

 

Life Cycle

 

 

Food

Flower-visiting insects, such as flies, butterflies, grasshoppers, and especially bees.

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82.
5/21/2024    
     

Occurrence

Common and widespread

Taxonomy

Class

Arachnida (arachnids)

Order

Araneae (spiders)

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

 

   

Synonyms

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

   

Common Names

flower spider

goldenrod crab spider

goldenrod spider

red-spotted crab spider

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor Photos
 

Share your photo of this arachnid.

 

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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.

Dan W. Andree

goldenrod crab spider    

Crab Spider Twin Valley Prairie SNA...

   
     
goldenrod crab spider  

goldenrod crab spider

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.

Michael Towne

goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider

Della Custer

goldenrod crab spider  

 

Spider camouflage  

 

Terry Dwayne

goldenrod crab spider  

 

golden rod crab spider flower spider

breeding in mass in my garden and apiary as I'm a beekeeper

 

 

Anya H.

goldenrod crab spider  

 

Found by the side of a lake  

 

Ken Vargas

goldenrod crab spider    

Alfredo Colon

goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider
     
goldenrod crab spider    

Lisa Lokken

goldenrod crab spider  

 

found it in my garden with a fly’s head in it’s fangs!  

 

Molly and Robert Power

goldenrod crab spider

 

  goldenrod crab spider

Greg Watson

goldenrod crab spider  

goldenrod crab spider

male Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia  

 

DotieC57

goldenrod crab spider    

Jocelyne D.

goldenrod crab spider  

goldenrod crab spider

First time seen in our backyard, interesting critters.  

 

Jen Taylor

goldenrod crab spider  

 

Flowers just purchased from Lowe’s  

 

Leesa Kolstad

goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider

Mark Gullickson

goldenrod crab spider  

goldenrod crab spider

around on yellow coneflower  

 

Cindy Hakala

goldenrod crab spider  

 

second sighting this summer, both in my backyard. Thanks!  

 

Tracey Klocek

goldenrod crab spider  

 

Golden Rod Crab Spider

Hi, I just had one of these land on me!

 

 

Tiffany Howell

goldenrod crab spider  

 

Goldenrod crab spider in Chengwatana State Park.  

 

Bill Reynolds

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.
  goldenrod crab spider
     
goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider

Tom Baker

goldenrod crab spider    
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider

 

Camera

Slideshows

Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)
Andree Reno Sanborn

Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)

Misumena vatia (Goldenrod Crab Spider)
Allen Chartier

Misumena vatia (Goldenrod Crab Spider)

 

slideshow

Visitor Videos
 

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Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.

 

 

 
 
Other Videos

pająk kwietnik (Misumena vatia) (flower spider with his victim)
brozek11

About

Uploaded on Jul 21, 2011

2011.07.21 Delfina, Polska

Misumena vatia
astrellify

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
Martin Čepek

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

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings
 

Report a sighting of this arachnid.

 

This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.

Dan W. Andree
7/2/2024

Location: Twin Valley Prairie SNA

Crab Spider Twin Valley Prairie SNA...

goldenrod crab spider

Michael Towne
6/14/2024

Location: Bellingham Washington

goldenrod crab spider

Della Custer
6/3/2024

Location: Mountain Iron, MN

Spider camouflage

goldenrod crab spider

Terry Dwayne
21/5/2024 (UK)

Location: UK, Somerset, Bridgwater

breeding in mass in my garden and apiary as I'm a beekeeper

goldenrod crab spider
Anya H.
7/5/2023

Location: Lake County, MN

Found by the side of a lake

goldenrod crab spider
Alfredo Colon
6/7/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

goldenrod crab spider
Lisa Lokken
7/14/2022

Location: Duluth, MN

found it in my garden with a fly’s head in it’s fangs!

goldenrod crab spider
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.

goldenrod crab spider
Molly and Robert Power
6/21/2022

Albany, MN

goldenrod crab spider
Alfredo Colon
6/3/2021

Location: Woodbury, MN

goldenrod crab spider
Greg Watson
6/12/2022

Location: Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent, MN

male Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia

goldenrod crab spider
DotieC57
7/10/2021

Location: Rushford, NY 14777

goldenrod crab spider

Jocelyne D.
6/25/2021

Location: West Enfield, Maine

First time seen in our backyard, interesting critters.

goldenrod crab spider

Jen Taylor
6/21/2021

Location: in Wasilla Alaska

Flowers just purchased from Lowe’s

goldenrod crab spider

Ken Vargas
9/11/2020

Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

goldenrod crab spider
Mark Gullickson
8/16/2020

Location: Fertile, MN - Polk County

around on yellow coneflower

goldenrod crab spider

Tracey Klocek
7/31/2019

Location: Duluth, MN

second sighting this summer, both in my backyard. Thanks!

goldenrod crab spider

Tracey Klocek
6/20/2018

Location: Ranier, MN, Koochoching County

Hi, I just had one of these land on me!

goldenrod crab spider

Tiffany Howell
7/15/2017

Location: Chengwatana State Forest

goldenrod crab spider

Bill Reynolds
8/30/2015

Location: Pennington County, MN

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.

goldenrod crab spider

Bill Reynolds
7/7/2005

Location: St. Louis Co.

goldenrod crab spider

Bill Reynolds
7/1/2005

Location: St. Louis Co.

goldenrod crab spider

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