goldenrod crab spider

(Misumena vatia)

Conservation Status
goldenrod crab spider
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

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.
 
  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
 
           
 

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.
 
 

Anya H.

 
 

Found by the side of a lake

 
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

Ken Vargas

 
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

Alfredo Colon

 
    goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider  
           
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

Lisa Lokken

 
 

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

 
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

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.

  goldenrod crab spider  
           
 

 

  goldenrod crab spider  
 

Molly and Robert Power

 
   

goldenrod crab spider

 

  goldenrod crab spider  
 

Greg Watson

 
 

male Goldenrod Crab Spider, Misumena vatia

 
    goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider  
 

DotieC57

 
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

Jocelyne D.

 
 

First time seen in our backyard, interesting critters.

 
    goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider  
 

Jen Taylor

 
 

Flowers just purchased from Lowe’s

 
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

Leesa Kolstad

 
    goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider  
 

Mark Gullickson

 
 

around on yellow coneflower

 
    goldenrod crab spider   goldenrod crab spider  
 

Cindy Hakala

 
 

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

 
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

Tracey Klocek

 
 

Golden Rod Crab Spider

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

  goldenrod crab spider  
 

Tiffany Howell

 
 

Goldenrod crab spider in chengwatana state park.

 
    goldenrod crab spider      
 

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
 
       
 

Share your video of this insect.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
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 insect.

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

 
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

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