Crab spider
Scientific name: Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757)
Overview
Misumena vatia is a species of crab spider found in Europe and North America. In North America, it is called the goldenrod crab spider or flower (crab) spider, as it is commonly found hunting in goldenrod sprays and milkweed plants. They are called crab spiders because of their unusual ability to walk sideways as well as forwards and backwards. Both males and females of this species progress through several molts before reaching their adult sizes, though females must molt more to reach their larger size. Females can grow up to 10 mm (0.39 in) while males are quite small, reaching 5 mm (0.20 in) at most. Misumena vatia are usually yellow or white or a pattern of these two colors. They may also present with pale green or pink instead of yellow, again, in a pattern with white. They have the ability to change between these colors based on their surroundings through the molting process. They have a complex visual system, with eight eyes, that they rely on for prey capture and for their color-changing abilities. Sometimes, if Misumena vatia consumes colored prey, the spider itself will take on that color.
From the Wikipedia article “Misumena vatia”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: North America, Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Kazakhstan, Iran, Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan; France; Britain; USA; Germany; Slovenia; Europe; Italy; Denmark; France, Germany; Czechia; Portugal, Spain, France; Romania; Mexico.
Common names
Names in other languages (4)
- Chinese
- 弓足梢蛛
- French
- vatia
- German
- Veränderliche Krabbenspinne
- Persian
- عنکبوت خرچنگ طلا
Related animals
Sources
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Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The World Spider Catalog.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — names in other languages. Q742349, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Misumena vatia”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026