Thomisus
| Thomisus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Female T. granulatus from South Africa | |
| Male T. onustus from Italy | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Thomisus Walckenaer, 1805 |
| Type species | |
| Thomisus onustus Walckenaer, 1805
| |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
| Diversity | |
| 137 species | |
Thomisus is a genus of crab spiders (family Thomisidae) with around 140 described species. The genus includes species that vary widely in their ecology, with some that are ambush predators that feed on insects visiting flowers. Like several other genera in the family Thomisidae, they are sometimes referred to as flower crab spiders, from their crab-like motion and their way of holding their front legs, reminiscent of a crab spreading its claws as a threat.