oblong running spider

(Tibellus oblongus)

Conservation Status
oblong running spider
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Oblong running spider is a medium-sized spider (Order Araneae) but a large running crab spider (Family Philodromidae). It occurs throughout Europe, Asia, and North America, and is common and locally abundant in Minnesota. It is by far the most common slender crab spider (Genus Tibellus). It is found low on grasses and herbaceous plants in a wide variety of habitats.

The body is long, slender, flattened, and hairy. Females are ¼ to long and have a legspan of 11 16 to 1. Males are darker, more slender, and slightly smaller, ¼ to 5 16 in length.

The covering (carapace) of the front part of the body (cephalothorax) is much longer than wide and has smoothly convex lateral margins. It is light brown to reddish-brown with a broad, dark brown median stripe, and a pair of narrower, faint, lateral stripes. The median stripe is forked at about the midpoint. The head is slightly angled upward. The eight eyes are black, equal in size, and arranged in two rows of four each. The back (posterior) row is strongly curved backward. The two inner eyes in the back row are closer to each other than to the lateral eyes.

The abdomen is very long and cylindrical. It is light yellowish-brown to brown with dark brown markings. There is a broad, dark brown median stripe; a pair of narrower, faint, lateral stripes; and a small black spot near the end (apex) of each lateral stripe. Sometimes there are two black spots on each lateral stripe.

The legs are long, slender, and the same color as the carapace. They do not have dark rings. The fourth (rear) pair is the longest and has three pairs of long spines on the underside of the fourth segment (tibia).

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Female Body Length: ¼ to

Male Body Length: ¼ to 5 16

Legspan: 11 16 to 1

 
     
 

Web

 
 

 

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Wide range of habitats

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

May to September

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

This spider does not produce a web to catch prey. It hunts actively, running after prey, and passively, lying in wait and ambushing prey.

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

The female spins a nursery web for its eggs. It guards the web until the young spiderlings have dispersed.

 
     
 

Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 29, 30, 82.

 
  5/26/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Widespread in North America. Common and locally abundant in Minnesota.

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Arachnida (arachnids)  
 

Order

Araneae (spiders)  
 

Suborder

Araneomorphae (typical spiders)  
  Infraorder Entelegynae (entelegyne spiders)  
 

Superfamily

Thomisoidea (crab and running crab spiders)  
 

Family

Philodromidae (running crab spiders)  
 

Genus

Tibellus (slender crab spiders)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

oblong running spider (Tibellus oblongus maculatus)

oblong running spider (Tibellus oblongus oblongus)

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

oblong running crab spider

oblong running spider

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Carapace

The hard, upper (dorsal), shell-like covering (exoskeleton) of the body or at least the thorax of many arthropods and of turtles and tortoises. On crustaceans, it covers the cephalothorax. On spiders, the top of the cephalothorax made from a series of fused sclerites.

 

Cephalothorax

The front part of a spider’s body, composed of the head region and the thoracic area fused together. Eyes, legs, and antennae are attached to this part.

 

Tibia

The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot).

 

 

 
 
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Dan W. Andree

 
 

Camouflaged Spider....

Not sure if this is a crab spider or some other kind. It was on some kind of seeding grass stalk. I didn’t see it at first because it was pretty small but did happen to see it move slightly. Amazing how camouflaged it is. Another wonder of nature I guess.

  oblong running spider  
           
 

Alfredo Colon

 
    oblong running spider   oblong running spider  
           
    oblong running spider      
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  Tibellus - Crab Spider
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About

Published on Jan 31, 2011

A Tibellus spp. spider observed with prey in a flower near Slocan, BC. The prey appears to be a Syrphid hoverfly. Tibellus spp. possibly a Tibellus oblongus ? Slender Crab Spider

   

 

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  Erick Carmona
5/16/2020

Location: :  México, Baja California, Rosarito

 
  Dan W. Andree
2020

Location: Norman County, Minnesota

Not sure if this is a crab spider or some other kind. It was on some kind of seeding grass stalk. I didn’t see it at first because it was pretty small but did happen to see it move slightly. Amazing how camouflaged it is. Another wonder of nature I guess.

oblong running spider  
  Alfredo Colon
6/10/2018

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

oblong running spider  
           
 
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Created 11/30/2018

Last Updated:

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