American Green Crab Spider

American Green Crab Spiders belong to the crab spider family Thomisidae. These spiders are widespread throughout the southeastern United States, including Georgia. Due to its bright green color and propensity to walk sideways like a crab, the American green crab spider earned its common name. Its bluish hue enables it to blend in with grasses and flowers, enabling it to ambush victims and evade predators.

The majority of specimens have unusually extended front legs that enable them to grip prey, and most are between 3 and 7 millimeters in length. Although they have an almost uniform green appearance, they have a tiny red line encircling the front of their abdomens. American green crab spiders hunt by keeping an eye out for insects that are coming to flowers and plants to drink nectar or collect pollen. Due to their small size, their bite is not considered medically significant and poses little threat to humans.