Crab Spider

A small spider that comes in a variety of colours including blue, white, and yellow. They generally have a broad profile, with the four pairs of legs clumped together helping them camouflage.

Full Name: Crab Spider (Family Thomisidae)

Other names: Krapspinnekop

Classification: HARMLESS

A small spider that comes in a variety of colours including blue, white, and yellow. They generally have a broad profile, with the four pairs of legs clumped together helping them camouflage. They are fantastic ambush hunters. You generally find them sitting on flowers in the garden or out in the veld. They generally match the colour of the flower, but occasionally you will find a yellow spider on a white flower or the other way around. These spiders are harmless to humans and pets and hunt small pollinating flies, bees and wasps.

Map indicating the distribution of Crab spiders, within Southern Africa.
African Snakebite Institute