23 July 2015
Goldenrod Crab Spider
Misumena vatia
Walden-Parke Preserve, Bangor, Maine
I'm pretty sure this spider is Misumena vatia and not the similar Misumenoides formosipes or whitebanded crab spider. The latter has a white ridge or band between the two sets of eyes (hence its name) that I didn't see here. There is a band underneath the eyes, though, which makes me wonder. Both spiders are able to change color to match the flower species that they use as their hunting grounds. There are yellow and pink banded forms. This flower is pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).
Photo by Donne Sinderson
Goldenrod Crab Spider
Misumena vatia
Walden-Parke Preserve, Bangor, Maine
I'm pretty sure this spider is Misumena vatia and not the similar Misumenoides formosipes or whitebanded crab spider. The latter has a white ridge or band between the two sets of eyes (hence its name) that I didn't see here. There is a band underneath the eyes, though, which makes me wonder. Both spiders are able to change color to match the flower species that they use as their hunting grounds. There are yellow and pink banded forms. This flower is pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).
Photo by Donne Sinderson