Misumenops asperatus

Misumenops asperatus
M. asperatus sub-adult female with diagnosic abdominal colorations and trichobothria on carapace and legs.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Misumenops
Species: M. asperatus
Binomial name
Misumenops asperatus
(Hentz, 1847)
Synonyms
  • Mecaphesa asperatus
  • Thomisus asperatus
  • Misumena rosea
  • Misumena foliata
  • Misumena placida
  • Misumena asperatus
  • Misumessus asperatus

This is a breed of the 'flower spiders' (so-called because they generally hunt in similarly coloured flowers for visitors such as bees and flies), Misumenops asperatus is a much smaller nearctic relative of the better-known Goldenrod Spider (Misumena vatia).

Howell (2004) provides the following diagnosic/identifying characteristics: "M. asperatus is distinguished from Misumenoides and Misumena in that the carapace, abdomen and legs are distinctively covered with numerous short stiff spines. The ocular region is white. On the anterior half, the abdomen has red streaks laterally. On the posterior half, the abdomen has a mottled brown to red-brown V-shaped mark pointed towards the posterior. All legs are yellow, except the tibia and metatarsus I bear red annuli."[1]

References

  1. Howell, W. Mike (2004). Spiders of the Eastern United States. Boston: Pearson Education Inc. ISBN 0-536-75853-0.


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