Thanks to their narrow bodies and cryptic coloring, the small Slender Crab Spider is difficult to see.
Slender Crab Spiders are a long and skinny group of seemingly hairless spiders. There are a handful of species in North America, and they all share a slender physique. Many are pale tan or ivory with a dark brown line of color that runs from the front of the face to the tip of the abdomen. These types of spiders hunt in turf, backyard lawns, and grassy fields where narrow bodies and linear coloring help hide or disguise them among their prey. They may sit on a blade of grass with four legs stretched in front of them and four stretched behind them to further reduce their profile. Females lay eggs in narrow egg sacs placed on thick blades of grass and then guard the sac until the spiderlings hatch. Look for Slender Crab Spiders in open lots with patches of grass or fescue, and well as lawns, fields, and other grassy areas.
Scientific Name: Tibellus spp.
Size (Adult; Length): 5mm to 11mm (0.20in to 0.43in)
Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.
Legs: Spiders have four pairs of legs and these are attached to the cephalothorax.
Pedipalps: Small appendages near the mouth used as taste and smell organs.
Cephalothorax: Contains eyes, head, mouthparts, and legs.
Abdomen: Contains various organs related to digestion, reproduction, and web-making.
Spinnerets: Used in the production of spider silk for fashioning webs or catching prey.
NOTE: Unlike insects, spiders have both an endoskeleton (internal) and exoskeleton (external).