''Diaea dorsata'' is one of the smaller

crab spider The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of th ...

s, with a palearctic distribution. Females can grow up to 6 mm, males up to 4 mm.

Prosoma The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...

and legs are green, the

opisthosoma The opisthosoma is the posterior part of the body in some arthropods, behind the prosoma (cephalothorax). It is a distinctive feature of the subphylum Chelicerata (arachnids, horseshoe crabs and others). Although it is similar in most respects to a ...

is yellowish with a brown mark. ''Diaea dorsata'' prefers forest edges. It can be found on oak leaves. The subadults overwinter under the bark of dead trees. Adults appear in May. The males have an extended non-damaging combat ritual: They stand opposed, stretch their front legs and dance around each other. This can go on for hours. This is highly unusual for crab spiders, but for example often found in jumping spiders. An agranular green

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

is incorporated into the

mesocuticle The cuticle forms the major part of the integument of the Arthropoda. It includes most of the material of the exoskeleton of the insects, Crustacea, Arachnida, and Myriapoda. Morphology In arthropods, the integument, the external "skin", or "s ...

of this species and thus lost between moults.Oxford, G.S. & Gillespie, R.G. (1998). Evolution and Ecology of Spider Coloration. ''Annual Review of Entomology'' 43:619-643.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1425775 Thomisidae Spiders of Europe Spiders described in 1777 Articles containing video clips Palearctic spiders