Faces Of Nature - Misumena Vatia Or Flower Crab Spider III

Hello, Friends!
Misumena vatia is one of the most common species of predatory spiders in the world, in Japan and China, these spiders are often depicted in paintings and decorations.

Personally, I like photographing spiders for their calmness and steadfastness, and today I have selected some of my best shots for you!

let's go...

This spider is distributed from arctic to subtropical climatic zones, inhabits open habitats with a large number of flowering plants.

The natural world is harsh! Just now you are a bee or a moth that decided to taste fragrant nectar, and in a moment you are already hung on a flower and stung on the head 🤷‍♂
But were so many plans for the evening...

The spider lies in wait for its prey on the flowers. It can change its color depending on the color of the flowers. Only sexually mature females have this ability. They control the change in body pigmentation with their organs of vision. When stained yellow, a liquid, yellow coloring matter enters the cells of the epidermis, when stained white, the pigment is transferred to the inner part of the body. The yellow pigment can also be excreted during a long stay on white flowers with a bowel movement.

The prey of the flower spider are various pollinating insects, such as bees, wasps, butterflies or small beetles. They are often an order of magnitude larger than the spider itself. The spider grabs its prey with strong, widely spaced front legs and delivers a lightning-fast bite to the head. The web does not spin.

Wiki

Interesting to know:

• It is called the "flower crab spider" because of its ability to camouflage itself on flowers to hunt insects that visit them.

• When the Flower Crab Spider kills its prey, it attaches its body to the flower and feeds on it until it's gone.

• These spiders can change the color of their bodies to match the color of the flowers they are on. This helps them become unnoticed by prey.

• Misumena vatia can change not only the color of its body but also its shape to better camouflage itself. For example, they can compress or expand their bodies to match the shape of a flower.

• Misumena vatia can hunt insects that are significantly larger than themselves.

• In the absence of food, they can survive for up to 3 weeks without eating.

• The flower crab spider can kill an insect that is 4-5 times larger in size than itself.

• Misumena vatia is polymorphic, which means that they have different color variations depending on their place of residence.

• During reproduction, males transfer their sperm to females using a special organ on their front legs.

• The life cycle of Misumena vatia is about 2 years.

• These spiders are at the top of the food chain and play an important role in controlling the insects they hunt.

Camera Nikon W300

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Thank you for your attention!