277. Running Crab Spider

Running Crab Spider (Philodromus dispar) is a common crab spider found in trees and bushes at Leaning Oaks.  It is a" sit-and-wait" predator and hunts by ambushing its prey.  It does not build a web (what looks like a web in this photograph are actually reflections of its legs on a thermopane window ).  Males are a shiny black or dark brown with a white edging, females are much more variable in both size and colour.   As you can see the palps are large on this species (making it look like it is wearing boxing gloves). This male was photographed hunting at night on the sliding glass doors on the house, no doubt attracted to the insects lured by the lights inside the house.  It is yet another introduced invertebrate from Europe.

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