Tibellus australis
| Botswana Grass Running Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Philodromidae |
| Genus: | Tibellus |
| Species: | T. australis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tibellus australis (Simon, 1910)[1]
| |
Tibellus australis is a species of spider in the family Philodromidae.[2] It is found in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Botswana grass running spider.[3]
Distribution
Tibellus australis has a limited distribution across three southern African countries: Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.[3] In South Africa, the species is known only from Limpopo province, where it occurs in the Blouberg Nature Reserve and Little Leigh in the Western Soutpansberg.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits the Savanna biome, where it lives as a free-living plant dweller commonly found on bushes and tall grass.[3] It occurs at altitudes ranging from 894 to 1,372 m above sea level.[3]
Description
Tibellus australis is known only from females[3]
Conservation
Tibellus australis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range across southern Africa.[3] The species is protected within the Blouberg Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1910 from Botswana.[1] It was revised by Van den Berg and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1994.[3] More sampling is needed to find the male of this species.[3]
References
- ^ a b Simon, E. (1910). "Arachnoidea: Araneae (II.)". Denkschriften der Medizinisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft zu Jena. 16: 175–218.
- ^ "Tibellus australis (Simon, 1910)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Philodromidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 36. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6634009. Retrieved 23 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.