Tibellus flavipes
| Zululand Grass Running Spider | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Philodromidae |
| Genus: | Tibellus |
| Species: | T. flavipes |
| Binomial name | |
| Tibellus flavipes Caporiacco, 1939[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Tibellus flavipes is a species of spider in the family Philodromidae.[2] It is found in Africa and is commonly known as the Zululand grass running spider.[3]
Distribution
Tibellus flavipes is an African species known from Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and South Africa.[3] In South Africa, the species is known only from KwaZulu-Natal, including six protected areas.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits the Savanna and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes, occurring at altitudes ranging from 18 to 150 above sea level.[3] Tibellus flavipes are free-living plant dwellers commonly found on bushes and tall grass.[3]
Description
Tibellus flavipes is known from both sexes.[3] Tibellus flavipes has an abdomen with three black spots.[4] Their copulatory opening guides broaden at their bases.[4]
Conservation
Tibellus flavipes is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is protected in several reserves in South Africa including Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and Ndumo Game Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Lodovico di Caporiacco in 1939 from Kenya.[1] It was originally described as a subspecies of Tibellus vossioni but was elevated to species status by Van den Berg and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1994.[3]
References
- 1 2 Caporiacco, L. di (1939). "Arachnida". Reale Accademia d'Italia, Roma. 3: 303–385.
- ↑ "Tibellus flavipes Caporiacco, 1939". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 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. 40. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6634009. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license. - 1 2 Berg, A. Van den; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A. S. (1994-08-26). "A revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Tibellus Simon (Araneae: Philodromidae)". Koedoe. 37 (1): 67–114. ISSN 2071-0771.