Order Araneae Higher classification Micrommata | Family Sparassidae Scientific name Micrommata virescens Rank Species | |
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Similar Micrommata, Huntsman spider, Arachnid, Raft spider, Pisaura mirabilis | ||
Spider micrommata virescens
Micrommata virescens, common name green huntsman spider, is a species of huntsman spiders belonging to the family Sparassidae.
Contents
Distribution
This species has a palearctic distribution. M. virescens is the only European representative of the family Sparassidae, most species of which are found in the tropics. It occurs naturally in Northern and Central Europe, including Denmark and southern Britain.
Description
In the females of Micrommata virescens the body length can reach 12–16 millimetres (0.47–0.63 in), while in the males it is about 7–10 millimetres (0.28–0.39 in).
The cephalothorax and the long legs of the females are bright green, with a lighter green abdomen showing a darker green median stripe. The eight eyes are arranged in two rows and surrounded by white hairs. Males are dark green-olive and have a narrower abdomen, with red sides and a red to red-brown median stripe bordered yellow. Young spiders have a yellow-brown cepahlothorax, with dark marginal and median stripes. Only after the last molting in the following spring the juveniles assume the typical coloration of the adults.
The green coloration is due to the bilin micromatabilin and its conjugates in haemolymph, interstitial tissues and the yolk of oocytes. A bite from this spider on a human may cause some local swelling and a little bit of pain, and would be gone within 2 days.
Habitat
These characteristic huntsman spiders can be found at the edges of forests, in dry meadows, in damp woodland clearings and rides, where they prefer grass and the lower branches of trees.
Biology
These spiders are mainly diurnal. They do not build a web, and hunt insects in green vegetation, where they rely on their camouflage. Their green color makes them very difficultly to be detected by predators. They grow relatively slowly, taking 18 months to reach maturity. Females are mature from May through to September. A few days after mating, the males die. In July the females enclose the egg-sac into a few leaves stitcheed together. Cocoons are guarded by females. After about 4 weeks eggs hatch about 40-50 young spiders.