Thursday, September 8, 2011

mystery yellow spider





Perfectly camouflaged and poised for a meal, this yellow crab spider sits and waits. Sits and waits. Pity the poor skipper that stops at this diner. This Bates Motel. This nightmare on Elm Street. What is one's bread and butter, is the other's bête noire.


The spider and the flower have evolved together. Be that as it may, I'm not sure what species it is. Rikki are you out there? What can you tell us?


The photo was taken by Julia C. White.


2 comments:

Rikki Hall said...

It's probably the white-banded crab spider, Misumenoides formosipes. Flower crab spiders are fairly variable, ranging from white to yellow, and legs and markings can be pale, as in the photo, or quite dark.

I'm not sure whether the spiders have an ability to alter their coloration based on the flower they are on or if they seek out flowers that match their coloration. Sounds like a fun research project for the weekend!

Stephen Lyn Bales said...

Thanks Rikki.

You're right. It does sound like a fun weekend research project.

I posted your insect WalkAbout photo on the Ijmas blog.

Many thanks. You're the best!