Peucetia viridans

Peucetia viridans, the green lynx spider, is a conspicuous bright-green spider found on shrubs. It is the largest North American lynx spider.

The female reaches a body length of 22 millimeters (0.8661417314 in); the more slender male averages 12 millimeters (0.4724409444 in). There usually is a red patch between the eyes, with red spots over the body. The eye region is clothed with white appressed hairs. The legs are green to yellow, with very long black spines, and covered with black spots. It is rather similar to P. longipalpis, the other Peucetia species to occur in the United States.

Gravid females are able to change their color to fit their background. This takes about 16 days.^[1]

The female constructs one to four 2 centimeters (0.787401574 in) egg sacs in September and October, each containing 25 to 600 bright orange eggs, which she guards, usually hanging upside down from a sac and attacking everything that comes near. The eggs hatch after about two weeks, and after another two weeks fully functional spiderlings emerge from the sac. They pass through eight instars to reach maturity. This non venomous spider is usually found on foliage

The green lynx spider very seldom bites humans, and its bite is harmless^[2] though painful.^[3] It is primarily of interest for its use in agricultural pest management, for example in cotton fields. The spiders have been observed to hunt several moth species and their larvae, including some of the most important crop pests, such as the bollworm moth (Heliothis zea), the cotton leafworm moth (Alabama agrillacea) and the cabbage looper moth (Trichoplusia ni). However, they also prey on beneficial insects, such as honey bees.

This species occurs in the southern United States,Some parts in Northern California, Central America, the West Indies, and Venezuela.

The species name, viridans, is Latin for “becoming green”. It is not to be confused with P. viridana, a species that occurs only in India and Myanmar, or P. viridis from Spain and Africa.

• Peucetia viridans, Female, Mason Regional Park, Irvine CA
  Peucetia viridans, Female, Mason Regional Park, Irvine CA
• Peucetia viridans, Female, Mason Regional Park, Irvine CA
  Peucetia viridans, Female, Mason Regional Park, Irvine CA
• green lynx spider, Chesapeake, VA
  green lynx spider, Chesapeake, VA
• Male Green Lynx Spider, Chesapeake, VA
  Male Green Lynx Spider, Chesapeake, VA
• Green Lynx vs Pisauridae, IN
  Green Lynx vs Pisauridae, IN

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Peucetia viridans.

• Green lynx spider on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site

nl:Groene lynxspin