Tibellus oblongus

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Tibellus oblongus is a spider in the Philodromidae family. It’s also called the oblong running spider or slender crab spider. The species has a Holarctic distribution, meaning it’s found in northern regions around the world. It does not spin webs; instead, it hunts small insects on grasses and in vegetation, using speed and venom to capture prey. It lives in grassy habitats and can itself be prey for larger spiders, such as wolf spiders like Hogna baltimoriana.

There is a recognized subspecies, Tibellus oblongus maculatus, described from Italy.

Taxonomy: Kingdom Animalia; Phylum Arthropoda; Subphylum Chelicerata; Class Arachnida; Order Araneae; Infraorder Araneomorphae; Family Philodromidae; Genus Tibellus; Species oblongus. Binomial name Tibellus oblongus (Walckenaer, 1802). Synonyms include Aranea oblonga, Tibellus punctatus, Tibellus longicephalus, Tibellus lineatus.

See also: List of Philodromidae species.