- This video shows a female crab spider eating a male crab spider. While she is eating another male crab spider arrives and mates with her.
- Special thanks to Joey Slowik for this information:
The spider is Misumena vatia. And those are the males, just sexual dimorphism. They don't have much in the way of courtship, pretty much just what you saw. Could be the first male blew it, or even mated and then afterwards she got him.
- To learn more about this behavior look at /sites/default/files/How%20do%20male%20crab%20spiders%20find%20females.pdf
- For good information about crab spiders look at /sites/default/files/Reproductive%20Success%20and%20Foraging%20of%20the%20Crab%20Spider%20Misumena%20vatia.pdf
Videos
These videos are free to use for educational purposes. To download them click on vimeo on the bottom right. To view them full screen click on the symbol next to the HD at the bottom. The bullets can be copied and pasted into a word document.
- Crab Spider feeds on a Bumblebee shows a female Goldenrod Spider feeding on a bumblebee in Juneau on May 20, 2019.
- For good information about crab spiders look at /sites/default/files/Reproductive%20Success%20and%20Foraging%20of%20the%20Crab%20Spider%20Misumena%20vatia.pdf
- This crab spider was hunting on Nootka Lupine. The main cross pollinator of this plant are bumblebees. Bumblebees provide these spiders with more nutrition than other insects. These female spiders require a certain amount of nutrition to successfully lay their eggs.
- Marlin Bowles and I observed these flies on Frog Orchids in Juneau on June 6, 2019.
- The orchids were present along the Mt. Roberts Trail above the upper tram building.
- Of special interest is the male march fly with pollinia on its head.
- Female march flies were observed on one frog orchid plant and males were observed on another.
- In the video the first part shows the female march flies on one of the orchids. The photos are of the male march fly on another orchid plant.
- These flies belong to the famlily Bibionidae
- The orchids are Bracted (frog) Orchis (Coeloglossum viride)
- For more information about these orchids look at Native Orchids of Southeast Alaska the book updated by Marlin Bowles & Bob Armstrong
- For information about the pollination of these plants look at /sites/default/files/Claessens.%202018%20ANT_POLLINATION_OF_DACTYLORHIZA_VIRIDIS.%20Orchid%20digest.pdf and /sites/default/files/Claessens_Seifert_2017.%20ant%20pollination%20in%20alps.%2018_Tuexenia.pdf
- Spots on Blueberry Leaves is very common this year (2019) in the Juneau area.
- I have noticed a lot of plants with these spots on the Spaulding Meadow Trail, in the vicinity of Amalga Harbor, along the Outer Point Trail on Douglas Island and along the trails in the Eagle Beach area.
- I have collected several leaves for analysis.
- It looks like one of the leaf fungus which has been known to spread to the fruits.
- For more information about this fungus look at /sites/default/files/Exibasidium%20leaf%20and%20fruit%20spot%20disease.pdf
- Once I get an analysis of these leaves I will post the information.