Tibellus vossioni

African Grass Running Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Philodromidae
Genus: Tibellus
Species:
T. vossioni
Binomial name
Tibellus vossioni
Simon, 1884[1]

Tibellus vossioni is a species of spider in the family Philodromidae.[2] It is found in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and is commonly known as the African grass running spider.[3]

Distribution

Tibellus vossioni is known from Saudi Arabia and several African countries, namely Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Sudan, and South Africa.[3] In South Africa, the species is known from two provinces and is protected in the Roodeplaatdam Nature Reserve.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits Fynbos and Savanna biomes.[3] Tibellus vossioni are free-living plant dwellers found on bushes and tall grass.[3]

Description

Tibellus vossioni is known only from males.[3]

Conservation

Tibellus vossioni is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range, but the species is under-sampled in South Africa.[3] There are no obvious threats and no conservation actions are recommended.[3]

Etymology

The species is named after collector M. Vossion.[1]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1884 from Sudan.[1] It was revised by Van den Berg and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1994.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Simon, E. (1884). "Arachnides recueillis à Khartoum (Soudan égyptien) par M. Vossion, vice-consul de France et appartenant au Muséum de Paris". Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France. 9 (1–2): 1–28.
  2. ^ "Tibellus vossioni Simon, 1884". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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. 49. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6634009. Retrieved 23 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.