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On the 25/4/20 I was at the local balancing pond and whilst checking the numerous bulrush seed heads (Typha sp.) that littered the ground I came across a huge Xysticus species. #TurnFear2Fascination #LoveSpiders #Educate #Springwatch
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This ground crab spider was by far the largest I had seen and I don't exaggerate when I say she was Misumena vatia proportions. She was obviously gravid and surprisingly, I had never observed egg incubation in this species so decided to collect the specimen.
I gathered some moss and other plant debris then proceeded home. Her new home was a large deli container and I added the plant material that I had collected from the pond. In went the spider and the container was placed on the windowsill and now it would be a matter of waiting.
I didn't have to wait long for the magic to happen as two days later on the 27/4/20 the Xysticus species produced her egg. Unfortunately I didn't get to observe the egg sac being produced which occured in the early hours.
The egg sac is brilliant white and lenticular shaped, somewhat like a comfy cushion albeit of Lilliputians proportions .Once completed the female will guard it vigilantly, seeing off any potential predators as we shall see later.
It was also at this time that I removed the lid of the container as I knew that she would not leave her egg sac and it’s precious contents unguarded. I wanted the habitat to be as natural as possible without it becoming like a greenhouse.
Over the following couple of weeks I introduced prey items, but these were refused everytime. At one point she had a fly walk across her carapace and she threw up her two front legs and pretty much said "get out of here!".
It was on the 21/5/20 that things changed! I looked into the container and the egg sac seemed to have a split along the seam. Did I mention earlier that Xysticus species were very protective of their egg sacs?
I want get a shot of the split in the egg sac but there was moss obscuring the opening. I took a small paintbrush to clean away the moss and immediately the female crab spider made a strike at the offending item and holds firm. I'm wondering, would she do the same to my finger?
..... and Yes! She defended her young as any other mother would rightly do. For the record, although it is a strange feeling having a spider hanging off my finger, I felt no pain which isn’t surprising as Xysticus fangs are tiny.
After extricating my finger from mother, I get the shot of the split in the egg sac and you know, I'm not sentimental with regards to spiders and please don't mention cute but I'm at a lost for words to describe the little one peeking out of the egg sac.
I kept up observations throughout the day but it seems that the young were quite content inside the egg sac and it wasn't until the following day 22/5/20 that they emerged on mass.
On the morning of the 23/5/20 I checked on the enclosure and the female is missing from the egg sac! Lo and behold she is sitting on the rim of the container which was a blessing for me, because I got to capture a photo of the sac and spiderlings without her obscuring my shot.
That night I replaced the lid on the deli pot and considering how active the female and her young were and I made the right decision. I woke the following morning to find that all the spiderings had left the sac and were now hanging from the lid and sides of the container.
That morning I headed off to the pond and released them into a clump of moss although the female ended up clinging to some grass and as is usual with Xysticus species had a look of perpetual grumpiness on her face.
To clarify, the egg sac incubation period was 25 days and the spiderlings dispersed within three days of emerging from the egg sac. During the month that the observations would last, Gloucester had average highs of 64°F and lows of 49°F.
