Predators on Butterflies

[Stan Gorodenski]

 From what you said below, it looks like the ones I am seeing could be 
Misumenoides formocipes. I see both white and yellow forms. Pretty gross 
things, but I suppose spider taxonomists love em.
Stan

drdn at mail.utexas.edu wrote:

>Quoting Stan Gorodenski <stan_gorodenski at asualumni.org>:
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>>This is not intended to start up the collector-anti collecting debate. 
>>For the past 3 weeks or so I have been going to one of the few spots not 
>>sprayed by pesticides for various reasons. I have never seen so many 
>>crab spiders in sunflowers and other yellow flowers of composits and 
>>they are really having a feast on the butterflies in the area, including 
>>bot flies and even bees. 
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>c---------------------------------------------
>That is true here too (TX, Travis Co.). I have never (since 1968) seen so many
>butterflies and honeybees caught by *Misumena* and *Misumenoides* in flowers
>(mostly *Eupatorium* spp. and *Verbesina virginica*). This seems to be an
>unusual year (as usual)!
>--------------------------------Chris Durden
>One could almost make a lep collection by 
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>>grabbing the prey from the spiders. I did this yesterday and got a 
>>perfect Zerene cesonia(?). Those in the past those, such as Ron 
>>Gatrelle, who have pointed out how much more an impact predators, rather 
>>than collectors, have on butterflies sure hit the nail on the head.
>>Stan
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