About Micrommata virescens (Clerck, 1757)
Micrommata virescens (Clerck, 1757) exhibits clear sexual dimorphism in size and appearance. Adult females reach a body length of 12–16 millimetres (0.47–0.63 in), while adult males have a body length of approximately 7–10 millimetres (0.28–0.39 in). For females, the cephalothorax and long legs are bright green; the abdomen is a lighter green marked with a darker green median stripe. The species' eight eyes are arranged in two rows, and surrounded by white hairs. Males have a dark green-olive base color, a narrower abdomen, red sides, and a red to red-brown median stripe that is bordered by yellow. Juvenile spiders have a yellow-brown cephalothorax with dark marginal and median stripes. Juveniles only develop the typical adult coloration after their final molt, which takes place the following spring. The species' characteristic green color comes from the bilin micromatabilin and its conjugates, which are present in the haemolymph, interstitial tissues, and the yolk of oocytes. This species has a Palearctic distribution, and occurs naturally in Northern and Central Europe, including Denmark and Britain. As a huntsman spider, it is typically found at forest edges, dry meadows, and damp woodland clearings and rides, where it prefers living in grass and on the lower branches of trees.
