About Synema globosum (Fabricius, 1775)
This species, Synema globosum, shows clear sexual size dimorphism: adult males grow to 2–4 mm (0.08–0.16 in) in length, while adult females reach 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long. These spiders are most active and encountered from May through August, staying on flowering plants, especially yellow or red Apiaceae species, where they wait to ambush prey. Their two pairs of front legs, which they use to hunt flower-feeding insects, are more developed than their rear pairs; the rear legs serve mostly a motor function. A notable trait of Synema globosum is that female individuals vary widely in color. Mature males have a black abdomen with two white marks. In mature females, the abdomen's background color may be red, yellow, or white, and it bears a black pattern that has been noted to resemble a silhouette of Napoleon. The prosoma and legs are black or dark brown. Like other members of the family Thomisidae, these spiders do not build webs, and instead actively hunt their prey. This species is present in most European countries and the eastern Palearctic realm, but it is not found in Scandinavia or the British Isles. It is especially common across the Mediterranean region.
