Lynx spiders

Family Oxyopidae

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The family of the Oxyopidae contains two genera in Australia, Oxyopes and Peucatia. The last one contains one described species. The genus Oxyopidae contains fourteen described species


The spiders can be found on grass and low herbage.
The long legged hunting spiders are capable of running very fast and jump on their prey like a cat. This is why their common name is lynx spider.
They do not make a web but activily hunt their prey.
Although their eyesight is not as good as that of the jumping spiders they can see their prey from a distance of up to 10 centimeters. They have two large front eyes besides a smaller pair, two on the side of their head and two large ones looking above and backward giving them an almost 360 degree view
Often these spiders are abundant and very colourful.
The spiders are active during day-time, preferable in the sunshine, running and jumping over leaves and grasses.

Below: Australian Oxyopes macilentus guarding her cocoon.

The male performs a dance before the female using it legs, abdomen and especially his palps.
The female spider spins a cocoon that she attaches to a plant. She will guard the eggs until they hatch.

 

The spider can be easily be identified by the very long spines on their legs and their eye setting. Their abdomen is like a pencil ending in a point. The size of these spiders is between 4 and 10 mm.

 

 

Below: Australian Oxyopes elegans guarding her cocoon.


Genus Oxyopes

Oxyopes elegans Oxyopes elegans
Oxyopes elegans
Oxyopes_ZZ109_F0834
Oxyopes quadrifasciatus Oxyopes elegans male
Oxyopes macilentus Oxyopes sp. male
Oxyopes ZZ271
Oxyopes rubicundus Oxyopes rubicundus
Oxyopes rubicundus Red Lynx Spider Oxyopes rubicundus
Oxyopes rubicundus Oxyopes rubicundus?
Oxyopes rubicundus Picture Robert Whyte Oxyopes rubicundus? Picture Robert Whyte
Oxyopes rubicundus
Oxyopes rubicundus Sydney (Picture Roy Barnes)  
Oxyopes variabilis Oxyopes variabilis
Oxyopes variabilis female Oxyopes variabilis female
Oxyopes variabilis Oxyopes variabilis
Oxyopes variabilis male Oxyopes variabilis male
Oxyopes ZZ357 Oxyopes ZZ357
Oxyopes ZZ356 Oxyopes ZZ356
Oxyopes ZZ153 Oxyopes ZZ153
Oxyopes ZZ153 Oxyopes ZZ153
Oxyopes_ZZ102_F0587 Oxyopes_ZZ102_F0588
Oxyopes ZZ102 Oxyopes ZZ102
Oxyopes_ZZ103_F0603 Oxyopes ZZ155
Oxyopes ZZ103 Oxyopes ZZ155
Oxyopes_ZZ104_RF0274 Oxyopes_ZZ104_RF0277
Oxyopes ZZ104 Oxyopes ZZ104
Oxyopes_ZZ105_F0661 Oxyopes_ZZ105_RF0301
Oxyopes ZZ105 Oxyopes ZZ105
Oxyopes_ZZ106_RF0348 Oxyopes_ZZ106_RF0351
Oxyopes ZZ106 Oxyopes ZZ106
Oxyopes_ZZ107_RF0392  
Oxyopes ZZ107  

Ed Nieuwenhuys, 22 march 2023

 If not noted pictures by me or Jurgen Otto

15 November 2022 6 Novenber 2016, 2 April 2012, 25 March 2007, 1 november 2006,November 22, 2002

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