For the identification of insects and other fauna and flora of South Africa.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

White Crabspider

Nature is fascinating in the way that so many of the insects and animals are perfectly disguised in their habitat. This little white crabspider is almost invisible on the rose where he waits to pounce on visiting bees and other insects. He is maybe a 1/4 of an inch in body length. This is a very small rose he is on too.

Most crab spiders have the ability change colour depending on what flower they are on.

Their venom is such that any prey they catch dies within seconds.

Crab spiders to not spin webs and being so small, their prey is usually bigger than them so they will hide behind what they catch on the flower and suck the insides out.

They will sometimes spend their entire lives on just one plant.