How Do Spiders Change Color?
WouterIn some species, colour changes may occur over time, and in others, it occurs rapidly. In many spiders, the color is a result of pigments in the cuticle, or in the epidermis cells. In some spiders, the colour is caused by an adaptation to the environment.
In several families, a wide variety of spiders are known to change their colours. Crab spiders are especially known for their ability to change.
One group of crab spiders is called the “flower spider”. These spiders ambush visiting pollinators on flowers. They have a white body and a yellow abdomen.
Other spiders have a more limited range of color options. They can change their colour to match the background, or to hide from predators.
Crab spiders have a cryptic colouring. This is due to a special light diffraction in their cuticle.
Crab spiders are commonly found in tropical regions, but there are also species that live in colder climates. Some spiders have crystalline deposits of guanine.
These guanine deposits reflect incoming light. Some spiders have iridescent mouth parts. Jumping spiders have hairs that can turn turquoise to green, and the scales can turn yellow to golden.
The rate at which these spiders can change their colour has been estimated by researchers, but it has not been quantified. Dodson and Anderson studied the colour changing abilities of female crab spiders.
They measured their rate of color change in females of the Misumenoides formosipes. They found that it took approximately two to six days for the spiders to change from yellow to white. They also determined that larger females were more able to switch between colors than smaller females.
