[2] They can mostly be encountered from May through August on flowering plants (especially yellow or red Apiaceae species), waiting for their prey.

The two pairs of the front legs, used for hunting the flower-feeding insects, are more developed[2] than the rear ones, which have a predominant motor function.

In mature females, the background colour of the abdomen can be red, yellow or white,[3] with a black pattern which has been noted for a certain resemblance to the silhouette of Napoleon.

Like other species of the family Thomisidae, these spiders do not make a web, but actively hunt their prey.

This species is present in most countries of Europe and in the eastern Palearctic realm, although absent from Scandinavia and the British Isles.