white spider in sweet peas?!

[pocla]

Hi everyone, new here, just seen the strangest spider and thought I'd see if anyone knows what it is.

My other half picked some sweet peas, and on a white one a very odd spider was hiding.

I've never seen one like it before - it was completely pure white, all over. Its body was fat and round - almost perfectly round, and about 1cm in diameter. It had tapered spiky legs, a bit like fat black spiders I've seen before.

Any ideas peeps? probably should have tried to take a photo, but you can never find the camera/batteries when you need them!

Thanks

[Tiggrx]

Probably the Crab-spider Misumena vatia - we have one that lives in the rose flowers in the garden.

[wildone]

There are several on the Gallery. Here is one uploaded by SquarePeas



Trust this helps

[pocla]

That's the one.... charming aren't they?! just a little aside - does anyone happen to know why they come out white? Are they albino, or an actual type that's developed as white for camoflage? and what good is white as a camoflage?! (apart from in my white sweet pea!!)

Thanks for your help with identification

[Venger]

It's part or their camouflage, they like to site on pale flowers and capture bees and other insects visiting the flower.
It's a very clever adaptation, - though it must be to stop birds from seeing them as I'm sure insects see in UV spectrum, and I know some species of spider (as well as scorpions) glow under UV light (see my avatar) - they can be white, yellow or greenish some have red markings low of the abdomen.
They are an ambush predator rather than a net weaver.

[demicav]

I've never seen one of these, they're lovely. Are they common all over the UK ??

[Venger]

Pretty much, but more common in the south.

[pressld2]

Here's one after a successful ambush in my ceanothus...



Not camouflaged at all to our eyes but I'm not sure what a bird would see. Isn't bird vision more attuned to movement than colour?

Dave P.

[Venger]

Well there are to many insects that use camouflage, or colour as a warning, so I assume that birds and other predators must see colour, though I suppose they go for movement as well.
My info on birds is sketchy.

[tr33lo]

Do they not have the ability to change their color aswell?