Rhene timidus

Like many in the genus, Rhene timidus resembles a beetle.^[11] Its shape is typical for the genus. It is particularly similar to the related Rhene facilis, but is larger. The spider is flat and robust. The spider's body is divided into two main parts: a cephalothorax and an abdomen. The male's carapace, the hard upper part of the cephalothorax, is very wide and has a length of 2.4 mm (0.09 in) and width of 2.5 mm (0.10 in). The spider's eye field is trapezoid, and unusually large. The remainder of the carapace is brown and covered in whitish hairs. There are black rings around its eyes. The part of the spiders face known as its clypeus is very low and dark. The underside of its cephalothorax, its sternum, is brown. Its mouthparts, labium and maxillae, are also brown while Its chelicerae show a single tooth.^[4]

Its abdomen measures 3.5 mm (0.14 in) long and 2.8 mm (0.11 in) wide. It is brown underneath but its upper side is brownish-fawn, lighter than its carapace. Its spinnerets are dark. It has brown legs, the front legs fatter than the rest, with whitish hairs. Some of the segments have black segments while others have long black hairs or spines. The female has a rounded epigyne, the external visible part of its copulatory organs that has a ridge to the rear.^[4] This is a deeper ridge than the related Rhene amanzi.^[12] It has distinctive spiralling ridges around its copulatory openings and broader seminal ducts than other members of the genus from Africa. The ducts lead to relatively large bean-like spermathecae, or receptacles. The epigyne has delicate sclerotization, the source of the specific name.^[4] Unlike the related Rhene ferkensis, the sclerotization includes all the ridges that surround the copulatory openings. Compared to the other spider, it also has longer seminal ducts.^[5]

Although Dendryphantine spiders a predominantly found in the Americas, Rhene spiders live in Africa and Eurasia.^[6] Rhene timidus is endemic to South Africa.^[1] It was first found in Amathole Mountains, Eastern Cape but it was also found in KwaZulu-Natal.^[13] It was initially seen living in broadleaf shrubs in a domestic garden.^[14] In the wild, it lives in savanna and forests.^[13]