Where to get a meal? An perspective from mixed source of records of the crab spiders hunting ground traits

Crab spiders (Thomisidae) are sit-and-wait predators that commonly hunt on flowers and inflorescences, where they may influence plant–pollinator interactions. We investigated whether specific floral reproductive traits are associated with crab spider occurrence and hunting success. Using observational records from Brazil and South Africa, complemented with global data from iNaturalist, we compiled 70 different plant–crab spider interactions and categorized floral morphology, reproductive structure, color similarity, relative size, and hunting success. Crab spiders were more frequently associated with inflorescences, rotate flower types, flowers larger than spiders, and chromatic contrast between spiders and flowers. Inflorescences and rotate flowers showed higher frequencies of successful hunting events, likely due to increased floral visitor abundance. Contrary to expectations, color dissimilarity did not reduce hunting success. Our results validated the use of citizen science to increase our knowledge through the high quality records highlighting the importance of plant reproductive structures and floral accessibility in shaping tri-trophic interactions among plants, pollinators, and their predators, suggesting that patch quality and visitor availability are key drivers of crab spider foraging strategies.