top of page
0S9A0092.JPG

Tsala Trails Journal

The Big Cat of the Arachnid World | On Foot in the African Bush episode II

  • Aug 8, 2024
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jan 16


Easily recognisable, but not easily seen, the green lynx spider’s bright green colour is what makes it stand out amongst the 495 genera of spiders in South Africa. But it's also what makes them blend right in! The beautiful translucent colouration allows it to perfectly camouflage against leaves and grass. 



A green lynx spider on the leaf of a wild pear, Dombeya rotundifolia. The spines on their legs help them trap prey.


Lynx spiders are part of the Oxyopidae family and are very active spiders that make little use of webs compared to other spiders. Instead, their common name, lynx, refers to the catlike manner in which they capture prey.


The green lynx spider pictured here is Peucetia viridis, the African green lynx spider. The Peucetia genus is less energetic: whereas other lynx spiders may stalk and pounce on their food, these individuals prefer to stick (literally) around leaves with velcro-like hair (called trichomes) that help them trap insects. 


They also capture prey by hanging from a silk thread and sweeping up bugs with their 2 front pairs of legs. If you look closely, you'll notice spines on their legs: these act like a basket to form a trap. Why work hard when you can work smart?



The green lynx spider egg sac made from spider silk


Although lynx spiders don’t catch their prey in a web, they use their silk glands to build egg sacs, which are then covered in another protective layer of silk. They may also create a network of silky threads extending from the egg sac: this is referred to as a nursery web and houses the spiderlings once they hatch until they’re big enough to wander out into the world. 

Some green lynx spiders also make use of draglines, trailing silk behind them as they jump to help with stability. Can you see the very faint dragline in the photo above?



A female green lynx spider guarding her egg sac


The female lynx spider is a devout mother who will aggressively guard her eggs and young spiderlings once they hatch. It seems females also use venom as a defence mechanism and can spit it from their fangs up to 20cm away! 


Not much research has been done on this genus of spiders. And the best way to learn is to observe them in the field.


So... shall we see you out there?


Sources:


Comments

bottom of page