A female flower crab spider, Misumena vatia, on a flower of Lilium regale. The picture shows the spider in a stationary pose on a white petal of the f

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A female flower crab spider, Misumena vatia, on a flower of Lilium regale. The picture shows the spider in a stationary pose on a white petal of the green structure, picture right, is a stamen of the flower. The spider is awaiting the arrival of its prey - in this situation, likely to be a hoverfly feeding on the lily pollen. Crab spiders do not spin a web, but they do use silk as an anchor and for climbing. Their hunting technique is to remain motionless on a flower, their front legs extended (as here), until a prey insect approaches. They then become alert and turn to face the prey. If the prey moves within range, it is grabbed and injected with a potent poison. Large insects may be taken, including bumblebees. M. vatia has a limited ability to camouflage itself by colour change. On L. regale, it is white. It can also assume a yellow or a greenish hue when necessary.

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Size: 5212px × 3468px
Photo credit: © DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: camouflage, colour, crab, flower, hoverfly, hunting, lilium, misumena, petal, pollen, regale, spider, technique, vatia, web