Crab Spider Photography by Kozmic Dreams

My Digital Photography of

Crab Spiders,

Families Thomisidae and Philodromidae

The following spiders were photographed in the Metro-Detroit area, unless otherwise noted. If you know the scientific names of any of these crab spiders, please e-mail me at kozmicdreams@ymail.com. Photographs are sorted so that most recent photos are at the top of the page.

Click on any photo to see a larger view!

Northern Crab Spider, Mecaphesa asperata

My backyard, May 14, 2019

I found this spider in the asters I was transplanting. This species is supposed to be fairly common, but this is the first specimen I've ever seen. It was surprisingly fast and sneaky, which is why most of the photos are on moss and liverwort. I did manage to get a few shots on some grape hyacinths and one of the aster flowers, but they were tricky because the spider kept hiding from view. I really liked its coloration---such a nice minty shade of green with a peachy-brown abdomen.

Slender Crab Spiders: genus Tibellus, family Philodromidae

Kensington Metropark, September 17, 2017

Holland Ponds, July 23, 2017

This spider was found outside on the hose on July 15, 2009. I have never seen one like it and could not immediately identify it---special thanks to James Buchkovich for providing its genus name. I hadn't even realized it was a type of crab spider, and originally placed it on the miscellaneous spiders page.

Crab Spider #4, family Thomisidae

It has been over a year since I've found a crab spider. I found this one on June 10, 2008 under a pile of dirty clothes in the basement, but I think it may have entered the house on some peony flowers I brought in as a backdrop for other insect and spider photos. Here is the spider photographed on a peony and rose from my yard. I also made three animations from some of the photos.

Crab Spider #3, family Thomisidae

I photographed this crab spider on April 29, 2007 on a tulip. Brian discovered it on the garage door.

Crab Spider #2, family Thomisidae

On October 10, 2006, I photographed this crab spider. It looks similar to the the one I photographed in May 2006, but the face is very different. This one was found outside in a lilac bush.

Crab Spider #1, family Thomisidae

The spider pictured below was found in my basement on May 30, 2006 coming down on a silken thread attached to the ceiling. Noticing that it was a species I had never seen before, of course I photographed it. Usually, these types of spiders are found outside in plants and flowers.