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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae) » Arctosa » Arctosa littoralis
Photo#986556
Camouflaged Beach Spider - Arctosa littoralis
Copyright © 2014 eaglebeach

Camouflaged Beach Spider - Arctosa littoralis
Tracys Landing, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA
August 25, 2014
Size: dime size
Seen on beach along the Chesapeake Bay. Seemed nervous. Would walk a little bit and then stop and pretend it was a beach pebble. Coloration completely matches the sand and pebble makeup of the beach.
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Contributed by eaglebeach on 28 August, 2014 - 4:17pm
Last updated 9 March, 2020 - 8:31am

Moved
Moved from Arctosa.
… Laura P., 9 March, 2020 - 8:31am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
Probably A. littoralis.
… Laura P., 28 August, 2014 - 7:48pm login or register to post comments

 
My 'Probably A. littoralis.'
Thank you! Can you tell me why this particular spiders body was pink, mimicking other pebbles of similar size on the beach? Can spiders adjust their colors like cuttlefish or chameleons? I run a local nature web site and I am learning as I go. Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Last week I learned that gray tree frogs can change their colors fairly quickly to blend in to their surroundings
… eaglebeach, 28 August, 2014 - 9:00pm login or register to post comments

 
Some spiders do change color,
to match their background. Flower Crab Spiders (Misumena) in particular are known for this:


I haven't heard of it in Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae) but other things like age, individual variation, diet and how recently the spider molted can all affect color too.


Another example are cobweb spiders in the genus Thwaitesia, the first 6 images here illustrate the transformation: http://sgmacro.blogspot.com/2013/07/transformation-of-mirror-spider.html
… Laura P., 28 August, 2014 - 9:39pm login or register to post comments

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