What does a green lynx spider look like?

The green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) is one of the most distinctive spiders in North America. Females are 12–22mm in body length; males are smaller (10–13mm). The body is bright green with white, yellow, or red markings and distinctive red spots at the base of each leg. The legs are long, spiny, and held in a characteristic spread position. The abdomen has a chevron pattern of white lines. The coloration provides excellent camouflage among green vegetation and flowers.

Are green lynx spiders dangerous?

Green lynx spiders are not considered medically significant. They can bite if handled or threatened, and the bite may cause localized pain, redness, and swelling. One unusual defense behavior: green lynx spiders can spit venom up to 20cm when threatened — this is rare among spiders and the venom can cause eye irritation if it contacts the eyes. Avoid handling them and keep your face away from them. No antivenom is needed for bites.

Where do green lynx spiders live in Arizona?

Green lynx spiders are found throughout Arizona in desert scrub, grassland, and gardens — wherever flowering plants and shrubs provide hunting perches. They are most common on brittlebush, desert marigold, palo verde, and ornamental flowering plants. They do not build webs — they are active hunters that stalk and ambush prey on vegetation. They are most commonly encountered from late summer through fall when females are guarding egg sacs.

What do green lynx spiders eat?

Green lynx spiders are generalist predators that eat bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, beetles, and other insects that visit flowers. They are ambush predators — they wait motionless on flowers or foliage and strike with explosive speed when prey comes within range. They are beneficial in gardens for controlling pest insects, though they also catch beneficial pollinators.

Do green lynx spiders protect their eggs?

Female green lynx spiders are exceptional mothers. They construct a large, papery egg sac containing 25–600 eggs and guard it aggressively — they will bite, spit venom, and physically attack anything that approaches the egg sac. The female does not eat during the guarding period (several weeks) and dies shortly after the eggs hatch. Spiderlings remain near the mother's body for several days after hatching before dispersing.

Green Lynx Spiders in Arizona — The Brilliant Ambush Predator of Desert Gardens

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Garden Beneficial

Unlike house flies, BOTH male and female stable flies bite — using a rigid bayonet-like proboscis to pierce skin and feed on blood for 2–5 minutes.

The green lynx spider is one of Arizona's most visually striking arachnids — a bright green ambush predator that hunts bees, wasps, and moths in desert gardens without building a web.