Lynx Spiders – Oxyopidae

Lynx Spider   Family: Oxyopidae  Common Name: Lynx spider, Striped lynx spider Appearance: Lynx spiders have sizes and can vary from 4 to 16 mm. They have six eyes that form hexagon at the top region of the head and a pair of eyes in front of the hexagon. Females have a pale yellow head with a white and dark lining row. Males resemble females but have copper-colored heads and abdomen covered with silvery green to purple scales. Males are smaller than females at 4 to 4.5 mm in total body length. Host Plants or Food: Lynx spiders frequently feed on other spiders, helping crop protection. They also feed on moths, honey bees, and insects larvae. Territory: North America, South America, Australia. Mode of Damage: Lynx spiders protect crops from pest insects, so they are beneficial garden insects Habits and Life History: Lynx spiders wait for prey in grassy areas and capture them, landing near them. They can smell the odors of the prey and spend time in vegetation where those odors are strong. Females mate only once, but males can get along with many females. Females produce eggs 7 to 33 days after mating, and they have a small flat egg sac underside of a leaf. After 20 days, spiderlings begin to emerge. Spiderlings remain on the place for five days until the wind carries them to a new location. And it takes nine months for a lynx spider to become an adult after the egg hatch, and the total life span is one year.