Data from: Do green lynx spiders (Peucetia viridans) change color in response to their backgrounds?

For animals that traverse patchy or dynamic backgrounds, morphological
color change can help to stay hidden from predators and prey. The green
lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) is a sit-and-wait predator that hunts
pollinators and other insects among vegetation. In the field, they are
often bright green with variable patterns of white, red, orange, yellow,
and purple, and individuals often appear well-matched to their
backgrounds. A previous study that relied on human observers to assess
color suggested these spiders can shift their body colors to match their
surroundings. Our goal was to replicate this work using modern reflectance
spectrophotometry to quantify spider colors. Across two experiments (in
different years), we collected adult female spiders and assigned them to
three differently colored backgrounds in the lab. Unexpectedly, we found
no evidence that the spiders in our study shifted their colors to match
their backgrounds. However, exploratory analyses revealed that color
change did occur, just not as expected, and was likely related to
senescence, diet, body condition, or some combination. We discuss these
findings in the context of previous work and suggest that the complex
nature of color change in this species makes them promising candidates to
provide novel insights for the field.