Female with black drawing on carapace and horizontal stripes on abdomen ©Pierre Oger

Ozyptila praticola

Know more?

Crab spiders get their name from the elongated first and second leg pair that together look a bit like claws of a crab. They often move in jerks and can even walk sideways, strongly reminiscent of crabs.

Ozyptila praticola

Web: Crab spiders don’t make catching webs, but use their elongated first and second legs to overpower their prey. They are sit and wait predators, often well camouflaged and laying in an ambush to surprise passing prey.

Habitat: on the ground, in leaf litter or sometimes on low vegetation in gardens, parcs, forest,…

How to recognize:

  • dark brown colour
  • cephalothorax with clear black drawing with lighter mid band
  • abdomen with vague drawing, often with two clearly noticeable dark stripes, going from the middle to the sides.
  • legs dark annulated

Looks similar to:

  • several other Ozyptila species, only detailed study of the reproductive structures with a stereomicroscope will allow for a certain identification.

Size

♀: 3-5 mm

♂: 2,5-3 mm

When?

♀: April till September

♂: April till September