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Crab Spider - Thomisdae
Identifying natural enemies > spiders > crab spider
Adults: Flattened body with diverse coloring, from bright neon to dark with gray and brown patterns. Front two pairs of legs are much longer than the back two pairs. Length 4-8 mm.

Diet/web: Ambush hunters use their large legs to grasp unsuspecting prey. Named for their ability to walk sideways, holding their legs crab-like out at their side. Does not make a web.

Crab spider
 
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This information was developed for the publication Identifying Natural Enemies in Field Crops by Mary Gardiner, Christina DiFonzo, Michael Brewer and Takuji Noma, MSU Extension bulletin E2949.
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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12/21/06