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Ozyptila gertschi Kurata, 1944

	FAMILY: THOMISIDAE Sundevall, 1833     Genus: Ozyptila Simon, 1864         Species: Ozyptila gertschi Kurata, 1944
	Author: Hancock, John Page views: 1,280 Write a Review: Visitor Comments: (0)

General Comments: This species is sometimes given the common name, toad spider.

Family Common Name:  crab spiders
Genus Common Name:  leaflitter crab spiders
Species Common Name:  none

Global Distribution: Holarctic
Nearctic States & Provinces: AB ON

Seasonality Specimen Search Specimen list 8, 2

Feeding Guild:^† ambushers
^†Feeding guild when noted defined by Uetz, G. W., J. Halaj, and A. B. Cady. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Journal of Arachnology 27:270-280. PDF
Habitat (published): Ground dwelling among leaf litter under rocks or laying camouflaged on the ground surface.
Habitat (<30 randomly chosen specimens): Riparian, Wetland reed beds; Riparian, Beaver Ponds, Wet Grassland; reclaimed mine tailings; Base camp. Beach;

Life & Natural History: Ground dwelling ambush predator. Having a rather flattened body and short stout laterigrade legs, said to resemble diminutive toads.Slow in their movement and easily overlooked. At night some species move up into the field layer (Roberts, 1995). The egg sacs are often found under rocks with the female on guard clinging to the paper-like sac.

Image(s) of Habitus:

Description: Carapace, dark red to nearly black with red brown median stripe and a V-shaped yellow mark at dorsal groove, bordered by a pair of dark longitudinal stripes. Abdomen, dorsum mottled off-white, yellow brown and black. Legs, yellow brown, femora often speckled ventrad with dark brown.

Male Dimensions: A = (not recorded) A+B = 3.5 mm  C = 1.47 mm

Image of External Male Genitalia: Credit: Hancock, John

Description: Carapace, beige to brown with pair brown lateral stripes and a V-shaped yellow mark at dorsal groove. Abdomen, dorsum mottled off-white, yellow brown and black. Legs, yellow brown, femora often speckled ventrad with dark brown.

Female Dimensions: A = (not recorded) A+B = 4 mm  C = 1.54 mm

Image of Epigynum: Credit: Hancock, John

Ozyptila gertschi Kurata 1944 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104791

Ozyptila gertschi Gertsch 1953 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104792

Ozyptila gertschi Wunderlich 1973 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104795

Ozyptila gertschi Dondale & Redner 1975 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104796

Ozyptila gertschi Dondale & Redner 1978 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104797

Ozyptila gertschi Heimer & Nentwig 1991 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104798

Ozyptila gertschi Kupryjanowicz 1995 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104800

Ozyptila gertschi Wunderlich & Schultz 1995 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104799

Ozyptila gertschi Roberts 1998 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2104801

Ozyptila gertschi Paquin & Dupérré 2003 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:2011225

Ozyptila gertschi Almquist 2006

Almquist, S. 2006. Swedish Araneae, part 2--families Dictynidae to Salticidae. Insect Syst. Ecol., Suppl. 63: 285-601.

Dondale, C. D. & J. H. Redner. 1978. The insects and arachnids of Canada, Part 5. The crab spiders of Canada and Alaska, Araneae: Philodromidae and Thomisidae. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Publ. 1663: 1-255.

Dondale, C. D. & J. H. Redner. 1975. The genus Ozyptila in North America (Araneida, Thomisidae). J. Arachnol. 2: 129-181.

Gertsch, W. J. 1953. The spider genera Xysticus, Coriarachne and Oxyptila (Thomisidae, Misumeninae) in North America. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 102: 415-482.

Heimer, S. & W. Nentwig. 1991. Spinnen Mitteleuropas: Ein Bestimmungsbuch. Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin, 543 pp.

Kupryjanowicz, J. 1995. Oxyptila gertshi Kurata, 1944 in Poland - Does O. simplex (O.P.-Cambridge, 1862) occur in Poland (Araneae, Thomisidae)? Bull. Polish Acad. Sci. Biol. Sci. 42: 351-356.

Kurata, T. B. 1944. Two new species of Ontario spiders. Occ. Pap. r. Ontario Mus. Zool. 8: 1-6.

Paquin, P. & N. Dupérré. 2003. Guide d'identification des araignées de Québec. Fabreries, Suppl. 11 1-251.

Roberts, M. J. 1998. Spinnengids. Tirion, Baarn, Netherlands, 397 pp.

Vilbaste, A. 1969. Eesti Žmblikud I. Krabiämbliklased (Xysticidae), Jooksikämbliklased (Philodromidae) ja Hüpikämbliklased (Salticidae). Zooloogia ja Botaanika Instituut, Tallinn, pp. 1-224.

Wunderlich, J. 1973. Zur Spinnenfauna Deutschlands, XV. Weitere seltene und bisher unbekannte Arten sowie Anmerkungen zur Taxonomie und Synonymie (Arachnida: Araneae). Senckenberg. biol. 54: 405-428.

Wunderlich, J. & W. Schultz. 1995. Ozyptila westringi (Thorell 1873), eine in Deutschland seltene Krabbenspinnenart (Arachnida: Araneae: Thomisidae). Beitr. Araneol. 4: 329-333.

^‡Nomenclature and taxonomic references from the World Spider Catalog

Roberts, M. J. 1995. Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.

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