Thomisidae

Family: Thomisidae (crab spiders)
Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Ecdysozoa > Panarthropoda > Tritocerebra > Arthropoda > Arachnomorpha > Cheliceriformes > Chelicerata > Euchelicerata > Arachnida > Araneae > Araneomorpha

The Thomisidae, or Crab spiders are the masters of ambush and disguise. They range in size from 3-32 mm although they rarely exceed 11mm in body length. This large family includes 38 genera in South Africa and occurs on all continents except Antarctica. They are called crab spiders because of their crab-like appearance and sideways motion. They occur more commonly on plants, sometimes under rocks and are harmless to man.
The family name is derived from the Greek "thomis" means "a sting".