''Mecaphesa asperata'', the northern crab spider, is a species of

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 ...

in the family

Thomisidae 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 thi ...

, found in North and Central America, and the Caribbean. It is a species of the 'flower spiders', so-called because they generally hunt in similarly coloured flowers for visitors such as bees and flies, and is a much smaller

nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

relative of the better-known Goldenrod Spider ('' Misumena vatia)''. ''Mecaphesa asperata'' was formerly in the genus ''

Misumenops ''Misumenops'' is a common genus of crab spider with more than 50 described species. The majority of the species Mesumenops, more than 80, have been transferred to 13 genera: '' Ansiea'', '' Demogenes'', '' Diaea'', '' Ebelingia'', '' Ebrechtel ...

'' under the name ''Misumenops asperatus''. Howell (2004) provides the following diagnostic/identifying characteristics: "''M. asperatus'' is distinguished from ''

Misumenoides Misumenoides is a genus of spiders in the family Thomisidae. Spiders in this family are commonly called "crab" or "flower" spiders. Species , the World Spider Catalog listed the following 35 species: * ''Misumenoides annulipes'' – Mexico, Gu ...

'' and '' Misumena'' in that the carapace, abdomen and legs are distinctively covered with numerous short stiff spines. The ocular region is white. On the anterior half, the abdomen has red streaks laterally. On the posterior half, the abdomen has a mottled brown to red-brown V-shaped mark pointed towards the posterior. All legs are yellow, except the tibia and metatarsus I bear red annuli."

References

External links

* Thomisidae Articles created by Qbugbot Spiders described in 1847 Spiders of North America {{thomisidae-stub