Flower spiders (Diaea species) belong to the Family Thomisidae, one of the most colourful and attractive spider families. Despite the fact they are common throughout much of southern and eastern Australia, they are often so well camouflaged that the casual observer rarely sees them.
Alternative Name/s
Crab SpiderIdentification
The prettier Diaea Flower Spiders have smooth, glossy bodies with short, unequal legs and a wide, more or less shortened abdomen that is often strikingly coloured. They are usually small in size (males smaller than females) and their two front pairs of legs are much heavier, longer and strongly spined than the hind pairs of legs. All four pairs of legs curve forward in a crab-like fashion, giving the group their other common name, Crab Spiders.Many other thomisid species, such as Stephanopis and Tharpyna, are not brightly coloured, relying instead on blacks, browns and whites to blend in with the stem, bark and leaf litter habitats they frequent.
Size range
3 mm - 1.2 cminformation from: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Flower-Spiders
J.G.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for leaving a comment on Jarowair Our Patch - your feedback is much appreciated. Please Subscribe to us on youtube or follow the #jarowairourpatch tag on Instagram. Kind Regards, Judi & Brendon