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Orb-weaver spiders are members of the
spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name of the group. Araneids have eight similar eyes, hairy or spiny legs, and no
stridulating Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mech ...
organs. The family has a
cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The extr ...
, including many well-known large or brightly colored garden spiders. With 3,108
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
in 186 genera worldwide, the Araneidae comprise the third-largest family of spiders (behind the Salticidae and Linyphiidae). Araneid webs are constructed in a stereotypical fashion, where a framework of nonsticky
silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...
is built up before the spider adds a final spiral of silk covered in sticky droplets. Orb webs are also produced by members of other spider families. The long-jawed orb weavers ( Tetragnathidae) were formerly included in the Araneidae; they are closely related, being part of the
superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...
Araneoidea. The family Arkyidae has been split off from the Araneidae. The cribellate or hackled orb-weavers ( Uloboridae) belong to a different group of spiders. Their webs are strikingly similar, but use a different kind of silk.


Description

Generally, orb-weaving spiders are three-clawed builders of flat webs with sticky spiral capture
silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...
. The building of a web is an engineering feat, begun when the spider floats a line on the wind to another surface. The spider secures the line and then drops another line from the center, making a "Y". The rest of the scaffolding follows with many radii of nonsticky silk being constructed before a final spiral of sticky capture silk. The third claw is used to walk on the nonsticky part of the web. Characteristically, the prey
insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pa ...
that blunders into the sticky lines is stunned by a quick bite, and then wrapped in silk. If the prey is a venomous insect, such as a wasp, wrapping may precede biting and/or stinging. Much of the orb-spinning spiders' success in capturing insects depends on the web not being visible to the prey, with the stickiness of the web increasing the visibility, thus decreasing the chances of capturing prey. This leads to a trade-off between the visibility of the web and the web's prey-retention ability. Many orb-weavers build a new web each day. Most orb-weavers tend to be active during the evening hours; they hide for most of the day. Generally, towards evening, the spider consumes the old web, rests for about an hour, then spins a new web in the same general location. Thus, the webs of orb-weavers are generally free of the accumulation of
detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts comm ...
common to other species, such as black widow spiders. Some orb-weavers do not build webs at all. Members of the genera '' Mastophora'' in the Americas, '' Cladomelea'' in Africa, and '' Ordgarius'' in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
produce sticky globules, which contain a pheromone analog. The globule is hung from a silken thread dangled by the spider from its front legs. The pheromone analog attracts male moths of only a few species. These get stuck on the globule and are reeled in to be eaten. Both genera of bolas spiders are highly camouflaged and difficult to locate. In the ''Araneus diadematus'', variables such as wind, web support, temperatures, humidity, and silk supply all proved to be variables in web construction. When studied against the tests of nature, the spiders were able to decide what shape to make their web, how many capture spirals, or the width of their web. Though it could expected for these spiders to just know these things, it isn't well researched yet as to just how the arachnid knows how to change their web design based on their surroundings. Some scientists suggest that it could be through the spider's spatial learning on their environmental surroundings and the knowing of what will or won't work compared to natural behavioristic rules. The spiny orb-weaving spiders in the genera '' Gasteracantha'' and '' Micrathena'' look like plant seeds or thorns hanging in their orb-webs. Some species of ''Gasteracantha'' have very long, horn-like spines protruding from their abdomens. One feature of the webs of some orb-weavers is the stabilimentum, a crisscross band of silk through the center of the web. It is found in several genera, but '' Argiope'' – the yellow and banded garden spiders of North America – is a prime example. As orb-weavers age, they tend to have less production of their silk; many adult orb-weavers can then depend on their coloration to attract more of their prey. The band may be a lure for prey, a marker to warn birds away from the web, and a
camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
for the spider when it sits in the web. The stabilimentum may decrease the visibility of the silk to insects, thus making it harder for prey to avoid the web. The orb-web consists of a frame and supporting radii overlaid with a sticky capture spiral, and the silks used by orb-weaver spiders have exceptional mechanical properties to withstand the impact of flying prey. The orb-weaving spider ''
Zygiella x-notata ''Zygiella x-notata'', sometimes known as the missing sector orb weaver or the silver-sided sector spider,Factsheet 6: Missing-sector Orbweaver (Zygiella x-notata)', British Arachnological Society, 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016 is a spider sp ...
'' produces a unique orb-web with a characteristic missing sector, similar to other species of the ''Zygiella'' genus in the Araneidae family. During the
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
, a radiation of angiosperm plants and their insect pollinators occurred. Fossil evidence shows that the orb web was in existence at this time, which permitted a concurrent radiation of the spider predators along with their insect prey. The capacity of orb–webs to absorb the impact of flying prey led orbicularian spiders to become the dominant predators of aerial insects in many ecosystems. Insects and spiders have comparable rates of diversification, suggesting they co-radiated, and the peak of this radiation occurred 100 Mya, before the origin of angiosperms. Vollrath and Selden (2007) make the bold proposition that insect evolution was driven less by flowering plants than by spider predation – particularly through orb webs – as a major selective force. On the other hand some analyses have yielded estimates as high as 265 Mya, with a large number (including Dimitrov et al 2016) intermediate between the two. Most arachnid webs are vertical and the spiders usually hang with their heads downward. A few webs, such as those of orb-weavers in the genus '' Metepeira'', have the orb hidden within a tangled space of web. Some ''Metepiera'' species are semisocial and live in communal webs. In Mexico, such communal webs have been cut out of trees or bushes and used for living fly paper. In 2009, workers at a
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
wastewater treatment plant called for help to deal with over 100 million orb-weaver spiders, living in a community that managed to spin a phenomenal web that covered some 4 acres of a building, with spider densities in some areas reaching 35,176 spiders per cubic meter.


Taxonomy

The oldest known true orb-weaver is '' Mesozygiella dunlopi'', from the
Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: * Lower (surname) * Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) * Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England See also *Nizhny Nizhny (russian: Ни́жний; masculine), Nizhnyaya (; feminine), or Nizhneye (russian: Н� ...
. Several fossils provide direct evidence that the three major orb-weaving families, namely the Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, and Uloboridae, had evolved by this time, about 140 Mya. They probably originated during the Jurassic (). Based on new molecular evidence in silk genes, all three families are likely to have a common origin. The two superfamilies, Deinopoidea and Araneoidea, have similar behavioral sequences and spinning apparatuses to produce architecturally similar webs. The latter weave true viscid silk with an aqueous glue property, and the former use dry fibrils and sticky silk. The Deinopoidea (including the Uloboridae), have a cribellum – a flat, complex spinning plate from which the cribellate silk is released. They also have a calamistrum – an apparatus of bristles used to comb the cribellate silk from the cribellum. The Araneoidea, or the "ecribellate" spiders, do not have these two structures. The two groups of orb-weaving spiders are morphologically very distinct, yet much similarity exists between their web forms and web construction behaviors. The cribellates retained the ancestral character, yet the cribellum was lost in the escribellates. The lack of a functional cribellum in araneoids is most likely
synapomorphic In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...
. If the orb-weaver spiders are a monophyletic group, the fact that only some species in the group lost a feature adds to the controversy. The cribellates are split off as a separate taxon that retained the primitive feature, which makes the lineage
paraphyletic In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In ...
and not synonymous with any real evolutionary lineage. The morphological and behavioral evidence surrounding orb webs led to the disagreement over a single or a dual origin. While early molecular analysis provided more support for a
monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...
origin, other evidence indicates that orb-weavers evolved earlier phylogenetically than previously thought, and were extinct at least three times during the
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
.


Reproduction

Araneid species either mate at the central hub of the web, where the male slowly traverses the web, trying not to get eaten, and when reaching the hub, mounts the female; or the male constructs a mating thread inside or outside the web to attract the female via vibratory courtship, and if successful, mating occurs on the thread. In the cannibalistic and polyandrous orb-web spider '' Argiope bruennichi'', the much smaller males are attacked during their first copulation and are cannibalized in up to 80% of the cases. All surviving males die after their second copulation, a pattern observed on other ''Argiope'' species. Whether a male survives his first copulation depends on the duration of the genital contact; males that jump off early (before 5 seconds) have a chance of surviving, while males that copulate longer (greater than 10 seconds) invariably die. Prolonged copulation, although associated with cannibalism, enhances sperm transfer and relative paternity. When males mated with a nonsibling female, the duration of their copulation was prolonged, and consequently the males were cannibalized more frequently. When males mated with a sibling female, they copulated briefly, thus were more likely to escape cannibalism. By escaping, their chance of mating again with an unrelated female likely would be increased. These observations suggest that males can adaptively adjust their investment based on the degree of genetic relatedness of the female to avoid
inbreeding depression Inbreeding depression is the reduced biological fitness which has the potential to result from inbreeding (the breeding of related individuals). Biological fitness refers to an organism's ability to survive and perpetuate its genetic material. ...
.


Sexual size dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...
refers to physical differences between males and females of the same species. One such difference can be in size. Araneids often exhibit size dimorphism typically known as extreme sexual size dimorphism, due to the extent of differences in size. The size difference among species of Araneidae ranges greatly. Some females, such as those of the ''
Nephila pilipes ''Nephila pilipes'' (northern golden orb weaver or giant golden orb weaver''Nephila pilipes''
Ar ...
'', can be at least 9 times larger than the male, while others are only slightly larger than the male. The larger size female is typically thought to be selected through fecundity selection, the idea that bigger females can produce more eggs, thus more offspring. Although a great deal of evidence points towards the greatest selection pressure on larger female size, some evidence indicates that selection can favor small male size, as well. Araneids also exhibit a phenomenon called sexual cannibalism, which is commonly found throughout the Araneidae. Evidence suggests a negative correlation between sexual size dimorphism and instances of sexual cannibalism. Other evidence, however, has shown that differences in cannibalistic events among araneids when having smaller or slightly larger males is advantageous. Some evidence has shown that extreme dimorphism may be the result of males avoiding detection by the females. For males of these species, being smaller in size may be advantageous in moving to the central hub of a web so female spiders may be less likely to detect the male, or even if detected as prey to be eaten, the small size may indicate little nutritional value. Larger-bodied male araneids may be advantageous when mating on a mating thread because the thread is constructed from the edge of the web orb to structural threads or to nearby vegetation. Here larger males may be less likely to be cannibalized, as the males are able to copulate while the female is hanging, which may make them safer from cannibalism. In one subfamily of Araneid that uses a mating thread, Gasteracanthinae, sexual cannibalism is apparently absent despite extreme size dimorphism.


Genera

, the
World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...
accepts the following genera: *'' Acacesia'' Simon, 1895 — South America, North America *'' Acantharachne'' Tullgren, 1910 — Congo, Madagascar, Cameroon *'' Acanthepeira'' Marx, 1883 — North America, Brazil, Cuba *'' Acroaspis'' Karsch, 1878 — New Zealand, Australia *'' Acrosomoides'' Simon, 1887 — Madagascar, Cameroon, Congo *'' Actinacantha'' Simon, 1864 — Indonesia *'' Actinosoma'' Holmberg, 1883 — Colombia, Argentina *'' Aculepeira'' Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 — North America, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe *'' Acusilas'' Simon, 1895 — Asia *'' Aethriscus'' Pocock, 1902 — Congo *'' Aethrodiscus'' Strand, 1913 — Central Africa *'' Aetrocantha'' Karsch, 1879 — Central Africa *'' Afracantha'' Dahl, 1914 — Africa *'' Agalenatea'' Archer, 1951 — Ethiopia, Asia *'' Alenatea'' Song & Zhu, 1999 — Asia *''
Allocyclosa ''Allocyclosa'' is a genus of orb weaver spiders that contains only one species, ''Allocyclosa bifurca''. It was first described in 1887 by McCook under the name ''Cyrtophora bifurca'', and was transferred to its own genus in 1999. It is the on ...
'' Levi, 1999 — United States, Panama, Cuba *'' Alpaida'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 — Central America, South America, Mexico, Caribbean *'' Amazonepeira'' Levi, 1989 — South America *'' Anepsion'' Strand, 1929 — Oceania, Asia *'' Aoaraneus'' Tanikawa, Yamasaki & Petcharad, 2021 — China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan *'' Arachnura'' Vinson, 1863 — Asia, Oceania, Africa *''
Araneus ''Araneus'' is a genus of common orb-weaving spiders. It includes about 650 species, among which are the European garden spider and the barn spider. The genus was erected by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1757. Description Spiders of this genus pr ...
'' Clerck, 1757 — Africa, South America, North America, Oceania, Asia, Central America, Europe, Cuba *'' Araniella'' Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942 — Asia *'' Aranoethra'' Butler, 1873 — Africa *'' Argiope'' Audouin, 1826 — Asia, Oceania, Africa, North America, South America, Costa Rica, Cuba, Portugal *'' Artifex'' Kallal & Hormiga, 2018 — Australia *'' Artonis'' Simon, 1895 — Myanmar, Ethiopia *'' Aspidolasius'' Simon, 1887 — South America *'' Augusta'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877 — Madagascar *'' Austracantha'' Dahl, 1914 — Australia *'' Backobourkia'' Framenau, Dupérré, Blackledge & Vink, 2010 — Australia, New Zealand *'' Bertrana'' Keyserling, 1884 — South America, Central America *'' Bijoaraneus'' Tanikawa, Yamasaki & Petcharad, 2021 — Africa, Asia, Oceania *'' Caerostris'' Thorell, 1868 — Africa, Asia *'' Carepalxis'' L. Koch, 1872 — Oceania, South America, Mexico, Jamaica *'' Celaenia'' Thorell, 1868 — Australia, New Zealand *''
Cercidia ''Cercidia'' is a genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and bel ...
'' Thorell, 1869 — Russia, Kazakhstan, India *''
Chorizopes ''Chorizopes'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1871. Though it belongs to the orb weaver family, these spiders move through leaf litter preying on other spiders rather than spinning webs. The origina ...
'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 — Asia, Madagascar *'' Chorizopesoides'' Mi & Wang, 2018 — China, Vietnam *'' Cladomelea'' Simon, 1895 — South Africa, Congo *'' Clitaetra'' Simon, 1889 — Africa, Sri Lanka *'' Cnodalia'' Thorell, 1890 — Indonesia, Japan *'' Coelossia'' Simon, 1895 — Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Madagascar *'' Colaranea'' Court & Forster, 1988 — New Zealand *'' Collina'' Urquhart, 1891 — Australia *'' Colphepeira'' Archer, 1941 — United States, Mexico *'' Courtaraneus'' Framenau, Vink, McQuillan & Simpson, 2022 — New Zealand *'' Cryptaranea'' Court & Forster, 1988 — New Zealand *''
Cyclosa ''Cyclosa'', also called trashline orbweavers, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Anton Menge in 1866. Widely distributed worldwide, spiders of the genus ''Cyclosa'' build relatively small orb webs with a web decoration. The w ...
'' Menge, 1866 — Caribbean, Asia, Oceania, South America, North America, Central America, Africa, Europe *'' Cyphalonotus'' Simon, 1895 — Asia, Africa *'' Cyrtarachne'' Thorell, 1868 — Asia, Africa, Oceania *'' Cyrtobill'' Framenau & Scharff, 2009 — Australia *''
Cyrtophora ''Cyrtophora'', the tent-web spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. Although they are in the "orb weaver" family, they do not build orb webs. Their tent-like, highly complex non-sticky web is sometim ...
'' Simon, 1864 — Asia, Oceania, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, South America, Africa *'' Deione'' Thorell, 1898 — Myanmar *'' Deliochus'' Simon, 1894 — Australia, Papua New Guinea *'' Dolophones'' Walckenaer, 1837 — Australia, Indonesia *'' Dubiepeira'' Levi, 1991 — South America *'' Edricus'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 — Mexico, Panama, Ecuador *'' Enacrosoma'' Mello-Leitão, 1932 — South America, Central America, Mexico *'' Encyosaccus'' Simon, 1895 — South America *'' Epeiroides'' Keyserling, 1885 — Costa Rica, Brazil *'' Eriophora'' Simon, 1864 — Oceania, United States, South America, Central America, Africa *'' Eriovixia'' Archer, 1951 — Asia, Papua New Guinea, Africa *'' Eustacesia'' Caporiacco, 1954 — French Guiana *'' Eustala'' Simon, 1895 — South America, North America, Central America, Caribbean *''
Exechocentrus ''Exechocentrus'' is a genus of Madagascan orb-weaver spiders (family Araneidae) first described by Eugène Simon in 1889. It is a bolas-using spider, capturing its prey with one or more sticky drops at the end of a single line of silk rather t ...
'' Simon, 1889 — Madagascar *'' Faradja'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Congo *'' Friula'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 — Indonesia *'' Galaporella'' Levi, 2009 — Ecuador *'' Gasteracantha'' Sundevall, 1833 — Oceania, Asia, United States, Africa, Chile *'' Gastroxya'' Benoit, 1962 — Africa *'' Gea'' C. L. Koch, 1843 — Africa, Oceania, Asia, United States, Argentina *''
Gibbaranea ''Gibbaranea'' is a genus of Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1951. Species it contains thirteen species: *''Gibbaranea abscissa'' (Ferdinand Karsch, Karsch, 1879) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japa ...
'' Archer, 1951 — Asia, Europe, Algeria *'' Glyptogona'' Simon, 1884 — Sri Lanka, Italy, Israel *'' Gnolus'' Simon, 1879 — Chile, Argentina *'' Guizygiella'' Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 — Asia *''
Herennia ''Herennia'' is a genus of spiders in the family Araneidae, found from India to northern Australia. It was formerly placed in a separate family, Nephilidae. While two species have been known since the 19th century, nine new species were describ ...
'' Thorell, 1877 — Asia, Oceania *'' Heterognatha'' Nicolet, 1849 — Chile *'' Heurodes'' Keyserling, 1886 — Asia, Australia *'' Hingstepeira'' Levi, 1995 — South America *'' Hortophora'' Framenau & Castanheira, 2021 — Oceania *''
Hypognatha ''Hypognatha'' is a genus of Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders first described by F. E. Guérin-Méneville in 1839. Species it contains thirty-eight species: *''Hypognatha alho'' Herbert Walter Levi, Levi, 1996 – Brazil *''Hypognatha belem'' Levi ...
'' Guérin, 1839 — South America, Central America, Mexico, Trinidad *'' Hypsacantha'' Dahl, 1914 — Africa *'' Hypsosinga'' Ausserer, 1871 — Asia, North America, Greenland, Africa *'' Ideocaira'' Simon, 1903 — South Africa *''
Indoetra ''Indoetra'' is a monotypic genus of south Asian orb-weaver spiders containing the single species, ''Indoetra thisbe''. Originally described as a subgenus of '' Clitaetra'', it was elevated to genus status in 2019. It has only been found in Sr ...
'' Kuntner, 2006 — Sri Lanka *'' Isoxya'' Simon, 1885 — Africa, Yemen *'' Kaira'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 — North America, South America, Cuba, Guatemala *'' Kapogea'' Levi, 1997 — Mexico, South America, Central America *'' Kilima'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Congo, Seychelles, Yemen *''
Larinia ''Larinia'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1874. Species it contains fifty-eight species: *'' L. acuticauda'' Simon, 1906 – West Africa to Israel *'' L. ambo'' Harrod, Levi & Leibensperger, 1991 – ...
'' Simon, 1874 — Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, Oceania, North America *'' Lariniaria'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Asia *''
Larinioides ''Larinioides'' is a genus of Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders commonly known as ''flying spiders'' and first described by Lodovico di Caporiacco in 1934. They mostly occur in temperate climates around the northern hemisphere. The name is derived fr ...
'' Caporiacco, 1934 — Asia *'' Lariniophora'' Framenau, 2011 — Australia *'' Leviana'' Framenau & Kuntner, 2022 — Australia *'' Leviellus'' Wunderlich, 2004 — Asia, France *'' Lewisepeira'' Levi, 1993 — Panama, Mexico, Jamaica *'' Lipocrea'' Thorell, 1878 — Asia, Europe *'' Macracantha'' Simon, 1864 — India, China, Indonesia *'' Madacantha'' Emerit, 1970 — Madagascar *'' Mahembea'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Central and East Africa *'' Mangora'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 — Asia, North America, South America, Central America, Caribbean *'' Mangrovia'' Framenau & Castanheira, 2022 — Australia *''
Manogea ''Manogea'' is a genus of Central America, Central and South American Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders first described by Herbert Walter Levi in 1997. it contains only three species. References

Araneidae Araneomorphae genera Spiders of Cen ...
'' Levi, 1997 — South America, Central America, Mexico *'' Mastophora'' Holmberg, 1876 — South America, North America, Central America, Cuba *'' Mecynogea'' Simon, 1903 — North America, South America, Cuba *'' Megaraneus'' Lawrence, 1968 — Africa *'' Melychiopharis'' Simon, 1895 — Brazil *'' Metazygia'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 — South America, Central America, North America, Caribbean *'' Metepeira'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1903 — North America, Caribbean, South America, Central America *'' Micrathena'' Sundevall, 1833 — South America, Caribbean, Central America, North America *'' Micrepeira'' Schenkel, 1953 — South America, Costa Rica *'' Micropoltys'' Kulczyński, 1911 — Papua New Guinea, Australia *''
Milonia ''Milonia'' is a genus of Southeast Asian Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1890. Species it contains seven species: *''Milonia albula'' Octavius Pickard-Cambridge, O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899 – Singapore *'' ...
'' Thorell, 1890 — Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar *'' Molinaranea'' Mello-Leitão, 1940 — Chile, Argentina *'' Nemoscolus'' Simon, 1895 — Africa *'' Nemosinga'' Caporiacco, 1947 — Tanzania *''
Nemospiza ''Nemospiza'' is a genus of Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it ...
'' Simon, 1903 — South Africa *'' Neogea'' Levi, 1983 — Papua New Guinea, India, Indonesia *'' Neoscona'' Simon, 1864 — Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, North America, Cuba, South America *''
Nephila ''Nephila'' is a genus of araneomorph spiders noted for the impressive webs they weave. ''Nephila'' consists of numerous species found in warmer regions around the world. They are commonly called golden silk orb-weavers, golden orb-weavers, gian ...
'' Leach, 1815 — Asia, Oceania, United States, Africa, South America *''
Nephilengys ''Nephilengys'' is a genus of tropical spiders of the family Araneidae, consisting of two currently described species. (The genus was formerly placed in the Nephilidae and Tetragnathidae.) The genus '' Nephilingis'' has been split off from this ...
'' L. Koch, 1872 — Asia, Oceania *''
Nephilingis ''Nephilingis'' is a genus of spiders in the family Araneidae. It was split off from the genus ''Nephilengys'' in 2006. Both genera have been called hermit spiders from the habit of staying in their retreats during the day; alternatively the na ...
'' Kuntner, 2013 — South America, Africa *'' Nicolepeira'' Levi, 2001 — Chile *'' Novakiella'' Court & Forster, 1993 — Australia, New Zealand *'' Novaranea'' Court & Forster, 1988 — Australia, New Zealand *'' Nuctenea'' Simon, 1864 — Algeria, Asia, Europe *'' Oarces'' Simon, 1879 — Brazil, Chile, Argentina *'' Ocrepeira'' Marx, 1883 — South America, Central America, Caribbean, North America *'' Ordgarius'' Keyserling, 1886 — Asia, Oceania *'' Paralarinia'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Congo, South Africa *'' Paraplectana'' Brito Capello, 1867 — Asia, Africa *'' Paraplectanoides'' Keyserling, 1886 — Australia *'' Pararaneus'' Caporiacco, 1940 — Madagascar *'' Paraverrucosa'' Mello-Leitão, 1939 — South America *'' Parawixia'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 — Mexico, South America, Asia, Papua New Guinea, Central America, Trinidad *'' Parmatergus'' Emerit, 1994 — Madagascar *'' Pasilobus'' Simon, 1895 — Africa, Asia *'' Perilla'' Thorell, 1895 — Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia *'' Pherenice'' Thorell, 1899 — Cameroon *'' Phonognatha'' Simon, 1894 — Australia *'' Pitharatus'' Simon, 1895 — Malaysia, Indonesia *''
Plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins ...
'' Joseph & Framenau, 2012 — Oceania, Asia *''
Poecilarcys ''Poecilarcys'' is a genus of African Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders containing the single species, ''Poecilarcys ditissimus''. It was first described by Eugène Simon in 1895 to hold the single species moved from the now obsolete "catch-all" genu ...
'' Simon, 1895 — Tunisia *'' Poecilopachys'' Simon, 1895 — Oceania *'' Poltys'' C. L. Koch, 1843 — Asia, Africa, Oceania *'' Popperaneus'' Cabra-García & Hormiga, 2020 — Brazil, Paraguay *'' Porcataraneus'' Mi & Peng, 2011 — India, China *'' Pozonia'' Schenkel, 1953 — Caribbean, Paraguay, Mexico, Panama *'' Prasonica'' Simon, 1895 — Africa, Asia, Oceania *'' Prasonicella'' Grasshoff, 1971 — Madagascar, Seychelles *'' Pronoides'' Schenkel, 1936 — Asia *''
Pronous ''Pronous'' is a genus of South American and African orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugen von Keyserling in 1881. Species it contains sixteen species: *'' Pronous affinis'' Simon, 1901 – Malaysia *'' Pronous beatus'' ( O. Pickard-Cam ...
'' Keyserling, 1881 — Malaysia, Mexico, Central America, South America, Madagascar *'' Pseudartonis'' Simon, 1903 — Africa *'' Pseudopsyllo'' Strand, 1916 — Cameroon *'' Psyllo'' Thorell, 1899 — Cameroon, Congo *'' Pycnacantha'' Blackwall, 1865 — Africa *'' Rubrepeira'' Levi, 1992 — Mexico, Brazil *''
Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: A ...
'' Framenau & Castanheira, 2022 — Australia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea *'' Scoloderus'' Simon, 1887 — Belize, North America, Argentina, Caribbean *'' Sedasta'' Simon, 1894 — West Africa *'' Singa'' C. L. Koch, 1836 — Africa, Asia, North America, Europe *'' Singafrotypa'' Benoit, 1962 — Africa *'' Siwa'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Asia *'' Socca'' Framenau, Castanheira & Vink, 2022 — Australia *'' Spilasma'' Simon, 1897 — South America, Honduras *'' Spinepeira'' Levi, 1995 — Peru *'' Spintharidius'' Simon, 1893 — South America, Cuba *''
Taczanowskia ''Taczanowskia'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugen von Keyserling in 1879. Contrary to the common name of the group, spiders of the genus Taczanowskia do not build webs and are furtive hunters, deceiving their prey by pro ...
'' Keyserling, 1879 — Mexico, South America *'' Talthybia'' Thorell, 1898 — China, Myanmar *'' Tatepeira'' Levi, 1995 — South America, Honduras *'' Telaprocera'' Harmer & Framenau, 2008 — Australia *'' Testudinaria'' Taczanowski, 1879 — South America, Panama *'' Thelacantha'' Hasselt, 1882 — Madagascar, Asia, Australia *'' Thorellina'' Berg, 1899 — Myanmar, Papua New Guinea *'' Togacantha'' Dahl, 1914 — Africa *''
Trichonephila ''Trichonephila'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders that was first described by Friedrich Dahl in 1911, as a subgenus of '' Nephila''. ''Trichonephila'' was elevated to the level of genus (new rank) by Kuntner ''et al.'' in 2019. The genus ''Tricho ...
'' Dahl, 1911 — Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America, South America *'' Umbonata'' Grasshoff, 1971 — Tanzania *'' Ursa'' Simon, 1895 — Asia, South America, South Africa *'' Verrucosa'' McCook, 1888 — North America, Panama, South America, Australia *'' Wagneriana'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 — South America, Central America, Caribbean, North America *'' Witica'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895 — Cuba, Mexico, Peru *'' Wixia'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1882 — Brazil, Guyana, Bolivia *'' Xylethrus'' Simon, 1895 — South America, Mexico, Jamaica, Panama *'' Yaginumia'' Archer, 1960 — Asia *'' Zealaranea'' Court & Forster, 1988 — New Zealand *''
Zilla Zilla may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Vittore Zanetti Zilla (1864–1946), Italian painter * Zilla Mays (1931–1995), American R&B, gospel singer and pioneering DJ * Zilla (Godzilla), a fictional film monster * Zilla (band), a trance band ...
'' C. L. Koch, 1834 — Azerbaijan, India, China *'' Zygiella'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 — North America, Asia, Ukraine, South America


See also

* List of Araneidae species


References


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links


Spiders of Australia




Arachnology Home Pages
World Spider Catalog


University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

Pictures of ''Mangora'' species


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''Neoscona crucifera'' and ''N. domiciliorum''
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University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
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Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a teaching, research and Extension scientific organization focused on agriculture and natural resources. It is a partnership of federal, state, and county governmen ...
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