Some Species of Crab Spiders in Sumatra

There are many species of spiders (order Araneae), and most of them are deadly predators. They kill prey with their strong jaws. They have their own way of hunting prey. Orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) make their webs into traps, so they are like fishermen who cast their nets to catch fish; jumping spiders (family Salticidae) ambush prey by hiding behind leaves, paralyzing the prey in "one hit," and it happens very quickly; and crab spiders (family Thomisidae) do the same, although they are not as agile as jumping spiders.

Crab spiders—now is the time to talk about them. I have observed and photographed at least three species of crab spiders. What are they? Let's see!

Maybe physically, it is too easy for enemies or prey to recognize, so this spider needs a little harder effort to hunt. Thomisus labefactus, commonly known as the mask crab spider, is a crab spider belonging to the genus Thomisus. The spider's physique is translucent white on the head (the eyes are very small and almost invisible) and legs, as well as the pale white abdomen. This spider often waits for prey, most of which are pollinators in weed flowers.

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Oh, it knows how to choose a camouflaged spot; it's perfect with its physical color blending with the wooden twigs. I almost missed it. Pistius truncatus is a species of crab spider. It's brown, stocky, and hairy, with two so-long front legs, and it looks scarier than other crab spider species.

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I almost thought it was a blood-filled tick that is common on livestock. But the tick's legs are not that long. My search results found that it was Henriksenia hilaris, a species of crab spider. The two long front legs are characteristic of crab spiders. The head is too small, which is dominated by the jaws so that the eyes are almost invisible and are even "drowned" by the fat abdomen. The spider is dark red on the head and abdomen; the two front legs are dark red; and the other legs are yellow. This spider likes narrow spaces in young leaf shoots as hiding places.

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^{All of the images here are my own work, taken with Xiaomi POCO NFC smartphone and an assembled external macro lens.}