Xysticus cristatus (Clerck, 1757)
Description
Male palp with 2 apophyses: one median, hammer-shaped, whereas the branches are unequally long and tapering. Second apophysis lying prolaterally, punnet-shaped with small inconspicuous tooth in the middle. Female: palp provided with dense robust spines. Ventral tibial apophysis broad at base and slanting distal edge. Retrolateral apophysis broad at base and tapering toward the tip. Embolus characteristic, fine, divided into 2 small tips at its end. Epigyne consists of 2 distinctly sclerotised, C-shaped pits and a median septum not too slender, pits can be plugged with a dark secretion drop. Vulva with entrance duct characteristically bent toward anterior part and then strongly toward posterior before passing over to receptacula. Prosoma contrastingly white and dark brown, laterally with broad black stripes, median triangle large, with distinct black spot posteriorly, margined arc-like on each side by bright stripes. Sternum medially white, with small brown spots or marbled brown on beige background (very variable), margin of sternum yellow to beige-brown. Chelicerae brown, to beige, frontally with several short and one longer spine. Legs brown, longitudinally striped, mostly darker dorsally, retrolaterally with longish hairless areas. Opisthosoma very variable in colour (female slightly brighter overall), distinctly patterned with characteristic light brown-ochre triangles on dark background. Spinnerets brown, with white border.
Body length male: 3.5-6.1 mmBody length female: 4.7-8 mm
Additional information
Near the ground on low plants, euryoecious, occurring up to approximately 1000 m.
Frequency: Frequent
Distribution
Phenology
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Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Braendegaard 1972a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Roberts 1995)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Palmgren 1983)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001b)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Locket & Millidge 1951)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Jantscher 2001b)
Pedipalp
(Azheganova 1968)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Embolus
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Tip of embolus, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001b)
Tip of embolus
(Palmgren 1983)
Median apophysis
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Tutaculum, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Braendegaard 1972a)
Epigyne
(Jäger 1995a)
Epigyne
(Vilbaste 1969)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001b)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001b)
Epigyne
(Azheganova 1968)
Epigyne
(Locket & Millidge 1951)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001b)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001b)
Vulva
(Jäger 1995a)
Vulva
(Vilbaste 1969)
Vulva, ventral view
(Palmgren 1983)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Habitus
(Braendegaard 1972a)
References
Azheganova N S (1968) Kratkii opredelitel' paukov (Aranei) lesnoi i lesostepnoi zony SSSR. Akademia Nauk SSSR: 1-149
Blagoev G, Deltshev C, Lazarov S, Naumova M (2018) The spiders (Araneae) of Bulgaria. Version: August 2018. National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Online at http://www.nmnhs.com/spiders-bulgaria/ (accessed on 10.9.2018)
Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Kronestedt T, Alderweireldt M, Bosselaers J, De Koninck H (2013) Spiders of Crete (Araneae). Nieuwsbr Belg Arachnol Ver 28: 1-147
Braendegaard J (1972a) Edderkopper eller spindlere I. Danmarks Fauna 72
Cera I (2018) The checklist of Latvian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Environmental and Experimental Biology 16: 139-152 
Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S (2019) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2018 [last updated 1 January 2019], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Heimer S, Nentwig W (1991) Spinnen Mitteleuropas. Paul Parey Berlin
Helsdingen P J van (2010a) Araneae. In: Fauna Europaea Database (Version 2010.1), online at www.european-arachnology.org
Jäger P (1995a) Faunistische Untersuchungen an Spinnen (Araneae) der Wahner Heide (Nordrhein-Westfalen) mit Anmerkungen zur Biologie und Taxonomie. Diplomarbeit, Zoologisches Institut, Universität zu Köln
Jantscher E (2001a) Revision der Krabbenspinnengattung Xysticus C.L. Koch, 1835 (Araneae, Thomisidae) in Zentraleuropa. Dissertation: 1-328
Jantscher E (2001b) Diagnostic characters of Xysticus cristatus, X. audax and X. macedonicus (Araneae: Thomisidae). Bull Br Arachnol Soc 12 (1): 17-25
Kostanjšek R, Kuntner M (2015) Araneae Sloveniae: a national spider species checklist. ZooKeys 474: 1-91
Lissner J, Jensen J-K, Hansen L J, Simonsen W, Kelduni R, Nissen K (2016b) An updated checklist of spiders (Araneae) of the Faroe Islands. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 63: 197-240
Locket G H, Millidge A F (1951) British Spiders 1. Ray Soc London
Løvbrekke H (unpubl.)
Otto S (2017) Caucasian spiders. A faunistic database on the spiders of the Caucasus Ecoregion. Database version 08.2017. Internet: caucasus-spiders.info.
Palmgren P (1983) Die Philodromus aureolus-Gruppe und die Xysticus cristatus-Gruppe (Araneae) in Finnland. Ann Zool Fenn 20: 203-206
Pantini P, Isaia M (2018) Checklist of the Italian spiders (version June 2018). online at http://www.museoscienzebergamo.it/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=96&Itemid=94
Roberts M J (1995) Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins Field Guide Bath
Vilbaste A (1969) Eesti Ämblikud I. Krabiämbliklased (Xysticidae), Jooksikämbliklased (Philodromidae) ja Hüpikämbliklased (Salticidae). Zooloogia ja Botaanika Instituut, Tallinn: 224 pp.
World Spider Catalog (2018) World Spider Catalog, version 19.5. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (15.07.2018) doi: 10.24436/2
Updates
| 02-10-2018 | Image insert | |
| 09-08-2018 | Image insert | |
| 12-07-2018 | Image insert | |
| 07-03-2016 | Image insert |