Tibellus gerhardi
| Loskopdam Grass Running Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Philodromidae |
| Genus: | Tibellus |
| Species: | T. gerhardi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tibellus gerhardi Van den Berg & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1994[1]
| |
Tibellus gerhardi is a species of spider in the family Philodromidae.[2] It is found in Africa and is commonly known as the Loskopdam grass running spider.[3]
Distribution
Tibellus gerhardi is an African endemic known from seven countries: Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.[3] In South Africa, the species is known from five provinces including four protected areas.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits Grassland and Savanna biomes, occurring at altitudes ranging from 91 to 1,698 above sea level.[3] Tibellus gerhardi are free-living plant dwellers commonly found on bushes and tall grass.[3]
Description
Tibellus gerhardi is known from both sexes.[3]
Conservation
Tibellus gerhardi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is protected in four reserves including Roodeplaatdam Nature Reserve, Tembe Elephant Park, Polokwane Nature Reserve, and Rustenburg Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was described by Van den Berg and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1994 from Loskop Dam in Mpumalanga.[1]
References
- ^ a b Van den Berg, A.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (1994). "A revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Tibellus Simon (Araneae: Philodromidae)". Koedoe. 37 (1): 67–114.
- ^ "Tibellus gerhardi Van den Berg & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1994". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 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. 41. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6634009. Retrieved 23 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.