About Misumenops rubrodecoratus Millot, 1942
Misumenops rubrodecoratus is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae. It is commonly called the red-back crab spider, and it is endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. This species is distributed across the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa, it can be found in all nine of the country's provinces. Notable locations where it occurs include Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, Kruger National Park, Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Addo Elephant National Park, and many other protected areas across South Africa. Misumenops rubrodecoratus lives in grass, shrubs, flowers, and trees across multiple biomes. These biomes include Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Grassland, Thicket, and Savanna. Its range of altitude spans from 6 m to 2,020 m. This is the most common thomisid spider species ever recorded from South Africa. Adult specimens of this species have been collected year-round, with the exception of the winter months. The species is often found on a wide variety of crops, including avocado, citrus, cotton, kenaf, lucerne, macadamia, maize, pecans, pine plantations, pistachio, pumpkin, sugar cane, sunflower, strawberries, and tomatoes.
