Misumena vatia (Goldenrod Crab Spider)

Summary

The "Goldenrod Crab Spider," Misumena vatia, is also known as the Yellow Crab Spider and White Crab Spider. This is one of few spiders capable of changing color. This change takes from one to twenty days to complete, and only females do so. Individual female spiders may or may not have the red stripes on the sides of their abdomen. This spider is an ambush hunter, lying patiently in wait on flowers for an insect to come within striking range. Females conquer surprisingly large prey like bees and butterflies thanks to fast-acting venom. Males are a fraction of the size of their mates, and sometimes feed on flower pollen. Both genders mature in late spring or early summer, females gaining 85% of their weight thereafter. She needs her bulk to support egg development. Mated females fashion an egg sac within a curled leaf and guard it until their death with the first hard frost. Her spiderlings overwinter inside. This species is “holarctic,” found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.