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A Guide to Common Singapore Spiders
by Joseph K H Koh
  Green Crab Spider
Dieta virens (Thorell) 1891
 
close up of female
Female
The lateral eyes of Dieta spiders are obviously more prominent than the median eyes. Unlike most Crab Spiders which have a squat abdomen, the abdomen of Dieta is long. Classification: Family Thomisidae, Crab Spiders
Habitat:Grasses in waste-land.
Female: 8 mm.
Male: 7mm.
Distribution: Singapore, malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Northern Australia.
Crab spiders move sideways, like crabs. The body is not as hairy as in most spiders.
They are slow-moving spiders which do not actively hunt like Wolf Spiders. Instead, they remain stationary and await in ambush for some unsuspecting insects to land in front of them.

The first two pairs of legs in most Crab Spiders are longer and heavier than the third and fourth pairs, and are armed with spines for holding and grasping prey.
  From "A Guide to Common Singapore Spiders" by Joseph K. H. Koh
BP Guide to Nature Series published by the Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by British Petroleum
© 2000 Joseph K H Koh