Minnesota Seasons - goldenrod crab spider

Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy

Conservation Status

Photo by Mark Gullickson

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed


	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


	Life Cycle


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


	Distribution
			Sources 7, 24, 27, 29, 30, 82.
	7/11/2022

	Occurrence
	Common


	Taxonomy
	Class	Arachnida (arachnids)
	Order	Araneae (spiders)
	Suborder	Araneomorphae (typical spiders)
	Superfamily	Thomisoidea (crab and running crab spiders)
	Family	Thomisidae (crab spiders)
	Genus	Misumena (flower crab spiders)

	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

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	Ken Vargas




	Alfredo Colon






	Lisa Lokken

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



	Dan W. Andree

	… here is another Northern Crab with its dinner looks like some kind of a damsel fly or similar. That one was at the same area on 7-7-22. It is just a shrunk down 4k frame grab.




	Molly and Robert Power




	Greg Watson

	male Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia



	DotieC57




	Jocelyne D.

	First time seen in our backyard, interesting critters.



	Jen Taylor

	Flowers just purchased from Lowe’s



	Leesa Kolstad




	Mark Gullickson

	around on yellow coneflower



	Cindy Hakala

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



	Tracey Klocek

	Golden Rod Crab Spider Hi, I just had one of these land on me!


	Tiffany Howell

	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.




	Tom Baker





	MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

Camera


	Slideshows


	Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) Andree Reno Sanborn




	Misumena vatia (Goldenrod Crab Spider) Allen Chartier

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

	Share your video of this insect.
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	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 insect.
		This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location.



Alfredo Colon 6/7/2021	Location: Woodbury, MN



Lisa Lokken 7/14/2022	Location: Duluth, MN found it in my garden with a fly’s head in it’s fangs!



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.



Molly and Robert Power 6/21/2022	Albany, MN



Alfredo Colon 6/3/2021	Location: Woodbury, MN



Greg Watson 6/12/2022	Location: Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent, MN male Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia



DotieC57 7/10/2021	Location: Rushford, NY 14777



Jocelyne D. 6/25/2021	Location: West Enfield, Maine First time seen in our backyard, interesting critters.



Jen Taylor 6/21/2021	Location: in Wasilla Alaska Flowers just purchased from Lowe’s



Ken Vargas 9/11/2020	Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan



Mark Gullickson 8/16/2020	Location: Fertile, MN - Polk County around on yellow coneflower



Tracey Klocek 7/31/2019	Location: Duluth, MN second sighting this summer, both in my backyard. Thanks!



Tracey Klocek 6/20/2018	Location: Ranier, MN, Koochoching County Hi, I just had one of these land on me!



Tiffany Howell 7/15/2017	Location: Chengwatana State Forest



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.



Bill Reynolds 7/7/2005	Location: St. Louis Co.



Bill Reynolds 7/1/2005	Location: St. Louis Co.



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