Tiniest pearl spider on ruby red
Incredibly small female crab spider, just a few mm body length. Perhaps a juvenile. I only saw her on these native kangaroo paw flower buds due to the contrasting colours. Out of place when I came upon her, as they usually hang out on flowers of similar colour to themselves.
This could be Thomisus spectabilis, commonly called spectacular crab spider or simply white crab spider.
Usually white, but can have patches of yellow, or appear fully yellow. The legs and head appear almost translucent.
Another suggestion is Zygometis xanthogaster, the milky flower spider (due to the eye ornamentation).
Of interest is that the spider also takes advantage of its colour scheme's reflectance of UV light to create a colour contrast in the visual field of the bees that subsequently attracts them.
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Tiniest pearl spider on ruby red
Incredibly small female crab spider, just a few mm body length. Perhaps a juvenile. I only saw her on these native kangaroo paw flower buds due to the contrasting colours. Out of place when I came upon her, as they usually hang out on flowers of similar colour to themselves.
This could be Thomisus spectabilis, commonly called spectacular crab spider or simply white crab spider.
Usually white, but can have patches of yellow, or appear fully yellow. The legs and head appear almost translucent.
Another suggestion is Zygometis xanthogaster, the milky flower spider (due to the eye ornamentation).
Of interest is that the spider also takes advantage of its colour scheme's reflectance of UV light to create a colour contrast in the visual field of the bees that subsequently attracts them.
© All rights reserved.