XYSTICUS SP.

Adult female Xysticus sp.

Taxon:

• Class: Arachnida
• Order: Araneae
• Infra-Order: Araneamorph (true spiders)
• Family: Thomisidae
• Genus: Xysticus
• Species: Xysticus sp.

Female

Around 10mm in body length. Leg span of approximately 23mm diagonally.

Cephalothorax:
Dark brown carapace with four light dots posterior centre, anterior and clypeus light brownish yellow with light brown chelicera. Greyish round sternum with dark spot in centre. Dark brown coxae. Pedipalps reddish brown.

Abdomen:
Abdomen round and light brown, mottled, and faint dark bands across posterior. Ventral abdomen pale yellowish and mottled.

Legs:
Legs brown with pairs 1 and 2 dark brown to tibia, metatarsus and tarsus reddish brown and ventrally light brown and spotted. Legs 3 and 4 light femora and dark patella and tibia, light metatarsi and tarsi. 1, 2, 4, 3.

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Male

Around 5mm in body length. Leg span of approximately 10mm diagonally.

Cephalothorax:
Dark brown carapace with four light dots posterior centre, anterior and clypeus light brownish yellow with light brown chelicera, thin white line on margins. Greyish round sternum with dark spot in centre and faint dark lines above either side. Dark brown coxae. Pedipalps light brown, swollen tarsi with taper.

Abdomen:
Abdomen round and light brown, mottled, with 2 light spots dorsal anterior and two faint dark bands across posterior. Ventral abdomen pale yellowish and mottled.

Legs:
Legs brown with pairs 1 and 2 dark brown to tibia, metatarsus and tarsus reddish brown. Legs 3 and 4 light brown with dark bands around patella. 1, 2, 4, 3.

Adult female Xysticus sp.

Adult male Xysticus sp.

ABOUT THE GENUS

These spiders are commonly known as ground crab spiders, preferring to live and hunt on the ground rather than in flowers and plants. Their brown, reddish, and black colours lend them the ability to hide in their surroundings. Like all crab spiders, they are ambush predators and not very fast or agile. The name Xysticus comes from the Greek word xyst, meaning “scraper”. These spiders are difficult to identify and require a look at under the microscope to determine species.

HERIAEUS ZANII

Adult male H. zanii

Taxon:

• Class: Arachnida
• Order: Araneae
• Infra-Order: Araneamorph (true spiders)
• Family: Thomisidae
• Genus: Heriaeus
• Species: H. zanii

Female

Around 5mm in body length. Leg span of approximately 10mm diagonally.

Cephalothorax:
Carapace yellow with green tint bearing two dark lines running down from lateral eyes to posterior and covered in noticeable white setae. Chelicera same colour as carapace. Sternum round and slightly more green than carapace. Eye region encompassed in brown.

Abdomen:
Abdomen oval and light yellow with two darker lines running down dorsum from anterior to posterior and covered in noticeable white setae, venter pale and plain.

Legs:
Same colour as carapace and spined, but 1st tibia ventrally brownish. 1, 2, 4, 3.

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Male

As in female, but slightly smaller in body length, smaller abdomen and darker swollen tarsi on pedipalps. Leg pairs 1 and 2 brownish from tibia down to tarsi.

Adult female H. zanii

Adult male H. zanii

ABOUT THE GENUS

Heriaeus spiders are commonly known as hairy or spiky crab spiders, precisely due to the noticeable white setae covering their carapace and abdomen. They are small, averaging at around 4mm, and the sexual dimorphism in size isn’t as pronounced as with other crab spiders, with the males only being a little smaller.

These crab spiders are generally plant dwellers, where their hairy bodies blend in with hairy plants, but can also be found on the ground among grass. Like all crab spiders, they are ambush predators and not very agile.