Oxyopes flavipalpis

Oxyopes flavipalpis

Grass lynx spiders (Oxyopes) are very common in the grass and herb layer. They have a worldwide distribution and there are 27 species of Oxyopes known in South Africa.
Lynx spider (Oxis the common name for any member of the family Oxyopidae. Most species make little use of webs, instead spending their lives as hunting spiders on plants. Many species frequent flowers in particular, ambushing pollinators, much as crab spiders do. They tend to tolerate members of their own species more than most spiders do, and at least one species has been identified as exhibiting social behaviour.
Oxyopes flavipalpis is distinguishable from other Oxyopes by having a carapace colour ranging from black to pinkish orange with a dense velvety appearance.
Supper time! The little Grass Lynx spider has caught herself a whopping honey bee. Please note the male to the right...doing absolutely nothing to help! Geotagged,Grass lynx spiders,Oxyopes flavipalpis,South Africa,Spring,Western honey bee(Apis mellifera),arachnids,lynx spiders,oxyopes,south africa,spiders

Appearance

Both male and female total length 5-7mm. Carapace colour varying from black to pinkish orange;tegumant with short dense, velvety appearance. Abdomen is sometimes pinkish with dark spots. legs are a uniform creamish yellow.
Oxyope are distinguishable from other Oxyopidae by having the posterior row of eyes strongly precurved. The face is vertical and leg IV is longer than leg III
Six of the eight eyes of Oxyopid spiders are arranged in a hexagon-like pattern, more or less on a prominent hump on the front upper corner of the prosoma. The other two eyes are smaller, less conspicuous, and generally are situated in front of and below the other six. The basal parts of the chelicerae of most species are large, vertical and parallel, which combine with the bluff front end, a "high forehead" to the prosoma, to give most species a peculiar "flat-faced" appearance.
I'm coming to get you! Spooky spider creeping up on the other one Geotagged,Oxyopes,Oxyopes flavipalpis,South Africa,Spring,arachnids,grass lynx spiders,lynx spiders,oxyopes hoggi,south africa,spiders

Naming

Lucas 1858
Mighty strength Another of the spider eating the bee, this one shows just how strong those jaws are, clinging on to its prey, stopping it from falling. Geotagged,Oxyopes flavipalpis,Oxyopidae,South Africa,Spring,arachnids,grass lynx spiders,lynx spiders,south africa,spiders

Distribution

Worldwide excepting arctic and dry arid regions
A spider...a very awesome spider! Oxyopes sp. Not possible to pinpoint a species due to its unusual colour unfortunately Geotagged,Oxyopes flavipalpis,South Africa,Spring,arachnids,oxyopes,spiders

Behavior

Lynx spiders, in spite of being largely ambush hunters, are very speedy runners and leapers, alert and with good vision. Except when defending egg purses, many tend to flee rapidly when approached by predators or large creatures such as humans. They tend not to be very aggressive towards other members of their own species, and sometimes meet casually in small groups. Possibly as an extreme example, at least one member of the genus Tapinillus is remarkable as being one of the few social spiders, living in colonies with communal feeding, cooperative brood care, and generational overlap.
Mummy spider Found her sitting on this mass of tiny spiderlings along with their moulted skins Geotagged,Oxyopes flavipalpis,South Africa,Summer,arachnids,grass lynx spiders,lynx spiders,oxyopes,south africa,spiders

Habitat

Grass and herb layer
Grass lynx spider Another colour variation. Normally they have cream legs but as you can see, this ones are black but it is still believed to be the same species by experts. Geotagged,Oxyopes,Oxyopes flavipalpis,Oxyopidae,South Africa,Spring,arachnids,grass lynx spiders,lynx spiders,south africa,spiders

Food

Insects,spiders
Grass Lynx spider (Oxyopes) Another colour version I found in the garden today Geotagged,Oxyopes,Oxyopes flavipalpis,South Africa,Spring,arachnids,grass lynx spiders,lynx spiders,spiders

Predators

Other insects and spiders

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_spider
http://eol.org/pages/1198951/overview
Field Guide to Spiders Dr Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman LAPA 2014
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassArachnida
OrderAraneae
FamilyOxyopidae
GenusOxyopes
SpeciesOxyopes flavipalpis
Photographed in
South Africa