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Xysticus elegans Keyserling, 1880

elegant crab spider

	FAMILY: THOMISIDAE Sundevall, 1833     Genus: Xysticus C. L. Koch, 1835         Species: Xysticus elegans Keyserling, 1880
	Author: Hancock, John Page views: 2,334 Write a Review: Visitor Comments: (0)

Family Common Name:  crab spiders
Genus Common Name:  ground crab spiders
Species Common Name:  elegant crab spider

Global Distribution: USA, Canada, Alaska
Nearctic States & Provinces: AB ON QC CO MO MT NH ND OK PA WY

Seasonality Specimen Search Specimen list 19, 14

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): Partly wooded areas, leaf litter, under stones and logs, on herbaceous plants
Habitat (<30 randomly chosen specimens): Pine forest; mixed deciduous forest foliage; apple orchard foliage; reclaimed mine tailings; Garden; Deciduous-dominant with coniferous understory, clearcut; Deciduous-dominant with coniferous understory, 50% standing trees; Badlands; Mixedwood forest;

Life & Natural History: Overwintering is usually survived as sub-adults. Males mature May-June and gravid females can be found most often in late June. Females with egg sacs have been found between July and September (Hancock, pers. obs.).

Image(s) of Habitus:

Description: Carapace, red-brown with pale median area anterior to dorsal groove. Legs, mottled red-brown and off-white. Abdomen, dorsum with paired angular brown spots separated by off-white lines (Dondale & Redner, 1978).

Male Dimensions: A = 3.07 mm  A+B = 6.4 mm  C = 3 mm

Image of External Male Genitalia: Credit: Hancock, John

Description: Carapace with pair of pale-brown longitude stripes and with pale yellow median area. Legs lightly mottled with brown and yellow. Abdomen, dorsum with paired angular brown spots separated by off-white lines (Dondale & Redner, 1978).

Female Dimensions: A = 3.84 mm  A+B = 8.7 mm  C = 3.77 mm

Image of Epigynum: Credit: Slowik, Joey

Descriptions Source:
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.

Xysticus elegans Keyserling 1880 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990142

Xysticus borealis Keyserling 1884 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990144

Xysticus limbatus Emerton 1892 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990145

Xysticus limbatus Emerton 1902 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990146

Xysticus limbatus Banks 1913 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990147

Xysticus elegans Gertsch 1939 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990148

Xysticus elegans Chickering 1940 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990150

Xysticus elegans Comstock 1940 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990149

Xysticus elegans Kaston 1948 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990151

Xysticus elegans Turnbull, Dondale & Redner 1965 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990153

Xysticus elegans Dondale & Redner 1978 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990154

Xysticus elegans Breene et al. 1993 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:1990155

Xysticus elegans Paquin & Dupérré 2003 urn:lsid:ubio.org:namebank:9736756

Banks, N. 1913. Notes on the types of some American spiders in European collections. Proc. Acad. nat. Sci. Philad. 65: 177-188.

Breene, R. G., D. A. Dean, M. Nyffeler & G. B. Edwards. 1993. Biology, Predation Ecology, and Significance of Spiders in Texas Cotton Ecosystems with a Key to Species. Texas Agriculture Experiment Station, College Station, 115 pp.

Chickering, A. M. 1940. The Thomisidae (crab spiders) of Michigan. Pap. Michigan Acad. Sci. Arts Lett. 25: 189-237.

Comstock, J. H. 1940. The spider book, revised and edited by W. J. Gertsch. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, xi + 727 pp.

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.

Emerton, J. H. 1902. The common spiders of the United States. Boston, pp. 1-225.

Emerton, J. H. 1892. New England spiders of the family Thomisidae. Trans. Connect. Acad. Arts Sci. 8: 359-381.

Gertsch, W. J. 1939. A revision of the typical crab spiders (Misumeninae) of America north of Mexico. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 76: 277-442.

Kaston, B. J. 1948. Spiders of Connecticut. Bull. Conn. St. geol. nat. Hist. Surv. 70: 1-874.

Keyserling, E. 1884. Neue Spinnen aus America. V. Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. Wien 33: 649-684.

Keyserling, E. 1880. Die Spinnen Amerikas, I. Laterigradae. Nürnberg, 1: 1-283.

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

Turnbull, A. L., C. D. Dondale & J. H. Redner. 1965. The spider genus Xysticus C. L. Koch (Araneae: Thomisidae) in Canada. Can. Ent. 97: 1233-1280.

^‡Nomenclature and taxonomic references from the World Spider Catalog

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.

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