Currently viewing the category: "Running Crab Spiders"
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Running Crab Spider eats Caterpillar

On · Category: Cutworms and Owlet Caterpillars, Running Crab Spiders, Tent Caterpillars and Kin Tagged With: · 6 Comments

anatus formicinus eating unidentified caterpillar
Location: Toledo, OH
March 21, 2012 11:13 am
Afternoon, Bugman.
Ran in to this guy while chasing snakes (to photograph, not to harm) and didn’t have the heart to lift the wood he was on to follow my snake friend. Pretty sure it is anatus formicinus, but after half an hour of digging around I can not identify my caterpillar. Ah well, it was still a wonderful sight!
Signature: Katy

Running Crab Spider eats Caterpillar

Hi Katy,
We believe you have correctly identified this Running Crab Spider, though we are correcting the spelling of the genus name which is Thanatus.  There are some photos of Thanatus formicinus on BugGuide that look very similar.  We believe the caterpillar is most likely a Cutworm or Noctuid Caterpillar, or possibly a relative of the Tent Caterpillars, but we haven’t the time this morning to do that research.  This is a thrilling spring Food Chain image.

Related posts:

Tread Waisted Wasp preys upon Caterpillar Thread-Waisted Wasp paralyzes Caterpillar Possibly Parasitized Underwing Caterpillar Possibly male Carolina Mantis eating possibly Tobacco Budworm
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Running Crab Spider

On · Category: Running Crab Spiders · Add Comment

Green spider captured
Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 2:16 PM
I captured this spider at my wife’s request, it was sitting inside the carport.
Haven’t seen a green one before but have seen brown ones.
Steve
Kearns, utah

Nursery Web Spider???

probably Running Crab Spider

Hi Steve,
We believe this is a Nursery Web Spider in the family Pisauridae, which includes the Fishing Spiders. These are large spiders and your photo does not indicate scale, nor does your letter provide any indication of the size. We are uncertain of the exact identification, but we do believe the family is correct. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide more specific information.

Update from Eric Eaton
Daniel:
Hard to tell, especially without a size being given, but I would suspect this is actually a running crab spider in the genus Tibellus, family Philodromidae.  A close-up of the eye arrangement would also be telling…..
Eric

 

Related posts:

Running Crab Spider eats Caterpillar Running Crab Spider or Flattie??? Running Crab Spider Running Crab Spider, we believe
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination