#arachtober — Public Fediverse posts

#Arachtober 17: gotta delete old photos on my phone to free up space, so, from early June, here's a couple of rather unlucky running crab spiders (family Philodromidae) who don't even have eight legs between them!

As I explain in a blog post (https://nevillepark.ca/2024/05/24/i-can-put-my-leg-back-on-you-cant-how-spiders-regrow-limbs/), spiders can regenerate detached legs when they molt. But typical spiders (basically, not tarantulas, trapdoors, purse-webs, etc.) stop molting once they become sexually mature. If they lose a leg after that, they're stuck that way. And this often happens with highly mobile spiders like running crab spiders.

(The male in the second picture has regenerated his back right leg recently. If he still had molts left, it would gradually gain colour and become longer and eventually indistinguishable from its counterpart.)

#DailySpiderPic #SpidersOfMastodon #spiders • #Araneae #Philodromidae

#Arachtober 22: "Back off!" This running crab spider (_Philodromus_) I found on a rock tonight was suspicious of me. Black & white not to be artsy but because the white balance was irreparably fucked up.

#DailySpiderPic #arachnids #spiders #Araneae #Philodromidae #macro

#Arachtober 13 (it's still the 13th somewhere!): a fast-moving, red running crab spider (family Philodromidae) eating an equally fast-moving, red whirligig mite (family Anystidae)! From back in July, seen on the Park Dr Reservation Trail, southwest of the Evergreen Brick Works.

Possibly _Philodromus rufus_? I've only identified a _Philodromus_ to species like, once.

#DailySpiderPic #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #spiders #mites #Araneae #Philodromidae #Acari #Anystidae