Tibellus bruneitarsis

Tibellus bruneitarsis is a species of spider in the family Philodromidae. It is found in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Umhahli grass running spider.

Etymology

The species is named after Umhlali, a town in KwaZulu-Natal where the species was first collected.

Distribution

Tibellus bruneitarsis is a southern African species known from Zimbabwe and South Africa. In South Africa, it occurs in Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces and is protected in the Polokwane Nature Reserve.

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt and Savanna biomes, occurring at altitudes ranging from 18 to 1,310 m above sea level. Tibellus bruneitarsis are free-living plant dwellers commonly found on bushes and tall grass.

Description

Tibellus bruneitarsis is known only from females.

Conservation

Tibellus bruneitarsis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in the Polokwane Nature Reserve.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1952 from Umhlali in KwaZulu-Natal. It was revised by Van den Berg and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1994.