Crab-Spiders of the Claremont-Laguna 
Region 
MARGARET L. MOLES 
In the Claremont region, spiders belonging to the family Thom- 
iside are very abundant. Though great in numbers only five genera 
of the family have been found. During the months of May and 
June they frequent the poppies and feed upon the small Hymenop- 
tera and Diptera, which come to the flowers. A great many were 
found in the flowers with dead bees, showing that the spiders 
grabbed at the large prey resulting in the death of both. They 
are very wary, the instant a shadow falls on the poppy plant they 
run to the under side of the flower and drop to the ground. The 
coloring of the spiders is so protective that when they are down 
among the stamens of the flowers it is hard to distinguish them 
unless closely observed. The species that were found to frequent the 
poppies were Misumena aleatoria, Misumenops asperatus and 
Xysticus californicus. The wild flowers which have the colors blue, 
red or lavender were never found to be inhabited by any members of 
this family, but nearly all the wild flowers of a yellowish hue had 
from one to two thomisids in them. A great many young were 
found during the months of May, June and July. 
Xysticus californicus, Philodromus pernix and Xysticus gulosus 
were found under the bark of tree, Xysticus californicus being found 
in the tall grass, under the bark of the eucalyptus trees and in pop- 
pies. Philodromus pernix and Xysticus glusosis were found under 
eucalyptus bark, oak bark and sycamore. 
Misumena aleatoria was found on tar weed, poppies, in a dried-up 
yellow rose and in a pink rose. The one found in the drie-up yellow 
rose (Plate 1) was remarkable in its protective coloring, looking 
exactly like a dried yellow rose petal in the dark brown stamens. 
Two variations in coloring were found in Misumena aleatoria. 
One which was found in the green grass had a brownish green body 
and lacked any dark spots on the abdomen, the other was a yellow 
color with only one dark brown spot on the abdomen, the head and 
