| Stretched Philodromid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| specimen from Queensland | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Philodromidae |
| Genus: | Tibellus |
| Species: | T. tenellus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tibellus tenellus (L. Koch, 1876) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Tibellus tenellus is a species of running crab spider in the family Philodromidae. It is endemic to Australia, specifically known from Queensland. [1]
The species was originally described as Thanatus tenellus by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1876 based on a female specimen collected from Peak Downs, Queensland. [2] It was later transferred to the genus Tibellus and is currently classified in the family Philodromidae (running crab spiders). [1]
Many records of T. tenellus from Asia have been determined to be misidentifications of other species in the genus, particularly Tibellus japonicus and Tibellus orientis . [3] [4]
T. tenellus is endemic to Australia and has been recorded from Queensland. [1] The holotype was collected from Peak Downs, a region in central Queensland located in what is now the Central Highlands Region. [4] [1]
The species is distinguished from the similar Tibellus oblongus by having a more elongated opisthosoma (approximately five times as long as wide) compared to T. oblongus which has a shorter abdomen (three times as long as wide). Females possess large spermathecae positioned on a wide base, with copulatory spermathecal gland ducts positioned in front of the spermathecae, whereas T. oblongus has smaller spermathecae on elongated bases with spermathecal gland ducts positioned to the side. [4]