Green Lynx Spider: How to Identify

The vibrant, emerald-hued Green Lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) is the largest lynx spider in North America and can be seen atop shrubbery throughout the southern United States. The unmistakable arachnid stands out due to its impressive size and a beautiful hue. The Green Lynx spider is a voracious predator of insects, but its bite presents little risk to humans. However, its potential use in pest control has captured the attention of agricultural scientists, who view this species as an invaluable tool for managing crop pests.

Green Lynx Spider: Description.

The female Green lynx spider is a sizable arachnid, ranging from .5 to .85 inches in length. Males are typically slimmer and shorter at an average of .5 inches. Their cephalothorax appears narrow around the eye region but broadens out significantly towards the back for increased stability.

The Green Lynx Spider has a vibrant transparent green body when alive that quickly fades away after being preserved in alcohol. It also features a red patch between the eyes and various sizes of red spots across its body, which vary from spider to spider. Additionally, it has a white flat-lying hair covering around the eye region while its legs are pale green or yellow with long black spines and flecked black spots along its femora for added color.

Green lynx spider: Hunting methods.

Like other Oxyopidae species, green lynx spiders have the impressive power of being diurnal hunters and explorers. They traverse through low shrubs with ease and gracefully leap from plant to plant with a skill that surpasses even that of the remarkable jumping spiders.

Their keen eyesight is comparable to that of the wolf and fishing spiders. However, they may pause and assume a characteristic prey-catching posture to await their victims.

Green lynx spiders trail a dragline when hunting but don’t use webs to capture prey. Instead, it’s easy to identify them outdoors by the large and prominent spines on their legs, quick darting actions, and sudden jumps.