The Green Lynx is a species of large green spiders found in certain parts of both the Americas. Spider-watchers often confuse it with another lynx spider Peucetia longipalpis (sometimes called the ‘Lesser Green Lynx Spider’) that share a common range, as well as with the African P. viridis, and the Indian P. viridana.
Size: Like most spiders, the females are larger, ranging from 12 to 22 mm in length, whereas the slender males are around 12 mm.
Color: Typically bright green in color with most individuals having pairs of diagonal lines in white or burgundy or both, around the center of the abdominal area that further point towards the spider’s head. The legs have a dense scattering of dark spots.
Other Characteristic Features: All eight legs bear black spines, a feature common to most species of the Oxyopidae family.
Each of the one to five egg sacs is 2 cm (0.8 in) broad, with one egg sac containing 25 to 600 eggs. The eggs are bright orange in color and are laid in around September-October. The female guards the sacs hanging upside down, and attacks anything that tries to approach. It takes about a couple of weeks for the eggs to hatch.
The tiny spiderlings remain within the egg sac for about two weeks, before they are ready to come out and survive on their own. There are a total of eight transformational stages or instars for the spiderlings to attain adulthood.
The green lynx spiders rarely bite, and even if they do for defense purposes, the venom injected is not deadly, at least to humans.
Lifespan | Around one year |
Distribution | Southern regions of the US, in few areas of Northern California, Central America, West Indies, and only in Venezuela in South America |
Habitat | Mostly different species of green shrub-like plants |
Common predators | Larger spider species, wasps, birds, lizards, and snakes |
Diet | Mostly insects |
Image Credits: Bugguide.net, Objects.liquidweb.services, Spidertangle.files.wordpress.com, Emckiernan.files.wordpress.com, 4.bp.blogspot.com, Images.fineartamerica.com, 2.bp.blogspot.com, C1.staticflickr.com
The Green Lynx is a species of large green spiders found in certain parts of both the Americas. Spider-watchers often confuse it with another lynx spider Peucetia longipalpis (sometimes called the ‘Lesser Green Lynx Spider’) that share a common range, as well as with the African P. viridis, and the Indian P. viridana.
Size: Like most spiders, the females are larger, ranging from 12 to 22 mm in length, whereas the slender males are around 12 mm.
Color: Typically bright green in color with most individuals having pairs of diagonal lines in white or burgundy or both, around the center of the abdominal area that further point towards the spider’s head. The legs have a dense scattering of dark spots.
Other Characteristic Features: All eight legs bear black spines, a feature common to most species of the Oxyopidae family.
Each of the one to five egg sacs is 2 cm (0.8 in) broad, with one egg sac containing 25 to 600 eggs. The eggs are bright orange in color and are laid in around September-October. The female guards the sacs hanging upside down, and attacks anything that tries to approach. It takes about a couple of weeks for the eggs to hatch.
The tiny spiderlings remain within the egg sac for about two weeks, before they are ready to come out and survive on their own. There are a total of eight transformational stages or instars for the spiderlings to attain adulthood.
The green lynx spiders rarely bite, and even if they do for defense purposes, the venom injected is not deadly, at least to humans.
Lifespan | Around one year |
Distribution | Southern regions of the US, in few areas of Northern California, Central America, West Indies, and only in Venezuela in South America |
Habitat | Mostly different species of green shrub-like plants |
Common predators | Larger spider species, wasps, birds, lizards, and snakes |
Diet | Mostly insects |
Image Credits: Bugguide.net, Objects.liquidweb.services, Spidertangle.files.wordpress.com, Emckiernan.files.wordpress.com, 4.bp.blogspot.com, Images.fineartamerica.com, 2.bp.blogspot.com, C1.staticflickr.com