oblong running spider

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

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 ⅜″ 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).

Female Body Length: ¼″ to ⅜″

Male Body Length: ¼″ to 5 ⁄16″

Legspan: 11 ⁄16″ to 1″

Wide range of habitats

May to September

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

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

Sources

24, 29, 30, 82.

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

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.

Location: :  México, Baja California, Rosarito

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.

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota