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Here Misumena vatia had intended to attack the Red-Tipped Flower Beetle (Malachius bipustulatus). But the fellow landed on the other side of the blossom. By now, it has realized the spider. The moment of surprise has passed by, and such a beetle can become quite nasty when attacked. The crab spider is a bad fighter. It's attack can only be a sudden assault during the second of surprise while the insect is busy landing and does not pay attention to anything else. Which is why the spider now retracts into a corner of the blossom and hopes to remain unnoticed. The beetle was lucky. |
