Arachnids of North Carolina
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View Thomisidae Members: NC Records

Misumenoides formosipes - whitebanded crab spider

Misumenoides formosipesMisumenoides formosipesMisumenoides formosipesMisumenoides formosipesMisumenoides formosipesMisumenoides formosipes
Taxonomy
Order: ARANEAEInfraorder: AraneomorphaeFamily: Thomisidae                                                                                 
Comments: Walckenaer first described this species in 1837 as Thomisus formosipes, but in the very same publication he referenced T. flavescens 15 pages later, and then another 10 pages later mentioned T.pardus, each of which was ultimately synonymized with formosipes, its being the first name used in that one publication. Ten years later, Hentz sympathized with the difficulty of differentiating among these crab spiders, and lumped them together as T. aleatorious.

The aleatori[us|a] epithet stuck with the species for almost a century until Chamberlin and Ivie considered it to be a synonym of formosipes, belonging in Petrunkevitch's 1911 genus Misumenoides, where is has been since 1965.

Identification
Online Description/Photos: "The female prosoma is white to yellow and sometimes has a pair of submarginal bands that vary from green to brown. Along the clypeus, a carina (transverse ridge) that is white to yellow extends posteriorly [emphasis added].

The opisthosoma varies from white to yellow, occasionally pink to lavender. Brown to red spots may be on the dorsal surface in a V shape that opens toward the posterior. A pair of brown bands may also be on the lateral edge, starting at the pedicel and ending about halfway down the length. The legs are white to yellow and can be unbanded or have dark brown bands at the patella and distal tibia, while the remaining segments are dark brown. The male prosoma is green to orange. The carina is present and usually easy to see on the darker-colored prosoma. The opisthosoma ranges from red to yellow. The first two pairs of legs are very dark, almost black. The other legs are green to yellow. The legs are proportionally much longer in the males than the females. These spiders use the spines on the first two pairs of les to help them grab their prey. This species also has been reported to change color to match the environment." (Rose, 2022)		 BugGuide Google, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIFTechnical Description:

Dondale, Charles D. and James 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 Publication 1663: 255pp.

Total Length: Female 5.0–11.3mm, Male 2.5–3.2mmAdult ID: identifiable by photo
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments: Nationwide, extending north into southern and pacific Canada
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Misumenoides formosipes
Adult phenology:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats: old field, bog; often on flowers
Observation Methods:
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Status in North Carolina
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 Photo Gallery for Misumenoides formosipes - whitebanded crab spider

99 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.

Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-10-25
Brunswick Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: K. Sanford on 2025-09-30
Bertie Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Terrell Tucker via Bruce Reed on 2025-09-21
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal, Jim Petranka, Becky Elkin, Nora Murdock on 2025-08-26
Rutherford Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal on 2025-08-16
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-15
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2025-08-15
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Marilyn Westphal, Becky Elkin, Jim Petranka on 2025-08-09
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2025-06-26
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2025-06-26
Richmond Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2025-06-26
Richmond Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Eric Nicoletti on 2024-09-23
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Eric Nicoletti on 2024-09-23
Transylvania Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Bladen Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Bladen Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Duplin Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Duplin Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Sampson Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Sampson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Wayne Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-09-15
Wayne Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2024-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2024-09-05
Henderson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-26
Wilson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-26
Wilson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2024-08-20
Rockingham Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger on 2024-08-04
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2024-06-26
Henderson Co.
Comment: