RuiFarinhas_Photography

The Napoleon Spider

A spider that I have already photographed a few times, but this was by far my best shot. This is a species of spider belonging to the family Thomisidae (crab sp...
Read more

A spider that I have already photographed a few times, but this was by far my best shot. This is a species of spider belonging to the family Thomisidae (crab spiders) and can be found in most countries of Europe and in the eastern Palearctic realm. They don't build hunting webs, instead, they hunt mainly on dipterans and hymenopterans that visit the flowers and can also prey on other small floricultural insects and other small spiders. Sometimes they use silk to bind flower petals or leaves together as a safety thread while the spider hunts. This a femela spider of this species. Mature males have a black abdomen with two white marks. In mature females, the background colour of the abdomen can be red, orange, yellow or white, with a black pattern which has been noted for a certain resemblance to the silhouette of Napoleon wearing his iconic hat. That's why the common name is "The Napoleon Spider".

Common Name: Crab Spider, The Napoleon Spider

Scientific Name: Synema globosum

Read less