Araneidae Genera
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Orb-weaver spiders are members of the
spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
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, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of the surface of the Earth, in appropriate habitats; most cosmopolitan species are known to be highly adaptable to a range of climatic and en ...
, including many well-known large or brightly colored garden spiders. With 3,108
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
in 186
genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...
worldwide, the Araneidae comprise one of the largest family of spiders (with the
Salticidae Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family (biology), family Salticidae. , this family contained over 600 species description, described genus, genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spide ...
and
Linyphiidae Linyphiidae, spiders commonly known as sheet weavers (from the shape of their webs), or money spiders (in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Portugal) is a family of very small spiders comprising 4706 described species in 6 ...
). Araneid webs are constructed in a stereotypical fashion, where a framework of nonsticky
silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
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 Long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae) are a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Anton Menge in 1866. They have elongated bodies, legs, and chelicerae, and build small orb webs with an open hub with few, wide-s ...
) 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 Araneoidea is a taxon of Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders, termed "araneoids", treated as a Family (biology), superfamily. As with many such groups, its Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscription has varied; in particular some families that ha ...
. The family Arkyidae has been split off from the Araneidae. The
cribellate Cribellum literally means "little sieve", and in biology the term generally applies to anatomical structures in the form of tiny perforated plates. In certain groups of diatoms it refers to microscopically punctured regions of the frustule, or ...
or hackled orb-weavers (
Uloboridae Uloboridae is a family of non- venomous spiders, known as cribellate orb weavers or hackled orb weavers. Their lack of venom glands is a secondarily evolved trait. Instead, they wrap their prey thoroughly in silk, cover it in regurgitated digestiv ...
) 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 fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
. 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 Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
that blunders into the sticky lines is stunned by a quick bite, and then wrapped in silk. If the prey is a
venomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
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 ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...
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 ''Cladomelea'' is a genus of African orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. Adult females of the genus are bolas spiders, capturing their prey with one or more sticky drops at the end of a single line of silk rather than in ...
'' in Africa, and '' Ordgarius'' in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
produce sticky globules, which contain a
pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...
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 spider A bolas spider is a member of the orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae) that, instead of spinning a typical Spider web, orb web, hunts by using one or more sticky "capture blobs" on the end of a Spider silk, silk line, known as a "bolas". By swing ...
s 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 be expected for these spiders to just know these things, it is not 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 will not work compared to natural behavioristic rules. The spiny orb-weaving spiders in the genera ''
Gasteracantha ''Gasteracantha'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first named by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. Species of the genus are known as spiny-backed orb-weavers, spiny orb-weavers, or spiny spiders. The females of most species are brightly colored wi ...
'' and ''
Micrathena ''Micrathena'', known as spiny orbweavers, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. ''Micrathena'' contains more than a hundred species, most of them Neotropical woodland-dwelling species. The name is der ...
'' 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 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
, a radiation of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s 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
angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit ...
s. 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 A fly-killing device is used for pest control of flying insects, such as houseflies, wasps, moths, gnats, and mosquitoes. Flyswatter A flyswatter (or fly-swat, fly swatter) usually consists of a small rectangular or round sheet of a lightweig ...
. In 2009, workers at a
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
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'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker * Lower (surname) * Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) * Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England See also * Nizhny {{Disambiguation ...
. 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 Cribellum literally means "little sieve", and in biology the term generally applies to anatomical structures in the form of tiny perforated plates. In certain groups of diatoms it refers to microscopically punctured regions of the frustule, or ...
– a flat, complex spinning plate from which the cribellate silk is released. They also have a
calamistrum In spiders, the calamistrum is a row of specialized leg bristles used to comb out fine bands of spider silk, silk. It is only found on cribellate spiders, that is, spiders that possess the spinning organ known as the cribellum. The calamistrum and ...
– 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 hav ...
. If the orb-weaver spiders are a
monophyletic group In biology, a clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach to taxonomy ...
, 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 Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...
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 biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...
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 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...
.


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 Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well documente ...
and
polyandrous Polyandry (; ) is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wives ...
orb-web spider ''
Argiope bruennichi ''Argiope bruennichi'', commonly known as the wasp spider, is a species of orb-weaver spider found across Central and Northern Europe, several regions of Asia and Africa and the Azores. Like many other members of the same genus '' Argiope'', th ...
'', 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 in 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 caused by loss of genetic diversity as a consequence of inbreeding, the breeding of individuals closely related genetically. This loss of genetic diversity results from small population siz ...
.


Sexual size dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...
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 Fecundity selection, also known as fertility selection, is the fitness advantage resulting from selection on traits that increases the number of offspring (i.e. fecundity). Charles Darwin formulated the theory of fecundity selection between 1871 ...
, 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 Sexual cannibalism is when an animal, usually the female, Cannibalism, cannibalizes its mate prior to, during, or after Copulation (zoology), copulation. This trait is observed in many arachnid orders, several insect and crustacean clades, Gastro ...
, 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: *''
Abba ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
'' Castanheira & Framenau, 2023 – Australia (Queensland, New South Wales) *'' Acacesia'' Simon, 1895 — South America, North America *''
Acantharachne ''Acantharachne'' is a genus of African Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders first described by Albert Tullgren in 1910. Taxonomy The genus ''Acantharachne'' was erected by Albert Tullgren in 1910 for the species ''Acantharachne cornuta''. There was al ...
'' Tullgren, 1910 — Congo, Madagascar, Cameroon *'' Acanthepeira'' Marx, 1883 — North America, Brazil, Cuba *'' Acroaspis'' Karsch, 1878 — New Zealand, Australia *''
Acrosomoides ''Acrosomoides'' is a genus of African orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon Eugène Louis Simon (; 30 April 1848 – 17 November 1924) was a French naturalist who worked particularly on insects and spiders, but also on bir ...
'' Simon, 1887 — Madagascar, Cameroon, Congo *'' Actinacantha'' Simon, 1864 — Indonesia *'' Actinosoma'' Holmberg, 1883 — Colombia, Argentina *''
Aculepeira ''Aculepeira'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by R. V. Chamberlin & Wilton Ivie in 1942. Species it contains twenty-seven species: *'' Aculepeira aculifera'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – USA to Guatemala *'' 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'' Levi, 1999 — United States, Panama, Cuba *''
Alpaida Alpaida (also Alpaïde, Alpaide, Alphaida, Alpoïde, Elphide, Elfide, Alféïde, Chalpaida; 654 – c. 714) was a Frankish noblewoman who hailed from the Liège area. She became the second wife, concubine or mistress of Pepin of Herstal and mot ...
'' 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'' Clerck, 1863 *''
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 prese ...
'' Clerck, 1757 *'' 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 ''Celaenia'' is a genus of South Pacific orb-weaver spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell Tord Tamerlan Teodor Thorell (3 May 1830 – 22 December 1901) was a Sweden, Swedish arachnologist. Thorell studied spiders with Giacomo Doria a ...
'' Thorell, 1868 — Australia, New Zealand *'' Cercidia'' Thorell, 1869 — Russia, Kazakhstan, India *'' Chorizopes'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 — Asia, Madagascar *'' Chorizopesoides'' Mi & Wang, 2018 — China, Vietnam *''
Cladomelea ''Cladomelea'' is a genus of African orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. Adult females of the genus are bolas spiders, capturing their prey with one or more sticky drops at the end of a single line of silk rather than in ...
'' Simon, 1895 — South Africa, Congo *''
Clitaetra ''Clitaetra'' is a genus of spiders in a family Nephilidae. It occurs in Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka, hinting to a Gondwanan origin. a split between ''Clitaetra'' and related genera may be as old as 160 million years.Kuntner, M. 2006. Phylog ...
'' 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'' 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 ''Enacrosoma'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão in 1932. Species it contains six species found from Mexico to Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the larges ...
'' Mello-Leitão, 1932 — South America, Central America, Mexico *'' Encyosaccus'' Simon, 1895 — South America *'' Epeiroides'' Keyserling, 1885 — Costa Rica, Brazil *'' Eriophora'' Simon, 1864 — North America, South America, Central America, Africa, Asia *'' Eriovixia'' Archer, 1951 — Asia, Papua New Guinea, Africa *'' Eustacesia'' Caporiacco, 1954 — French Guiana *'' Eustala'' Simon, 1895 — South America, North America, Central America, Caribbean *'' Exechocentrus'' Simon, 1889 — Madagascar *'' Faradja'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Congo *'' Friula'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 — Indonesia *'' Galaporella'' Levi, 2009 — Ecuador *''
Gasteracantha ''Gasteracantha'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first named by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. Species of the genus are known as spiny-backed orb-weavers, spiny orb-weavers, or spiny spiders. The females of most species are brightly colored wi ...
'' 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 orb-weaver spiders first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1951. Species it contains thirteen species: *'' Gibbaranea abscissa'' ( Karsch, 1879) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan *'' Gibbaranea bifida'' ...
'' Archer, 1951 — Asia, Europe, Algeria *'' Glyptogona'' Simon, 1884 — Sri Lanka, Italy, Israel *''
Gnolus ''Gnolus'' is a genus of South American Araneidae, orb-weaver spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon, Eugène Louis Simon in 1879. Originally placed with the orb-weaving spiders, it was transferred to the Mimetidae, pirate spiders in 19 ...
'' Simon, 1879 — Chile, Argentina *'' Guizygiella'' Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 — Asia *'' Herennia'' Thorell, 1877 — Asia, Oceania *'' Heterognatha'' Nicolet, 1849 — Chile *'' Heurodes'' Keyserling, 1886 — Asia, Australia *'' Hingstepeira'' Levi, 1995 — South America *'' Hortophora'' Framenau & Castanheira, 2021 — Oceania *'' Hypognatha'' Guérin, 1839 — South America, Central America, Mexico, Trinidad *'' Hypsacantha'' Dahl, 1914 — Africa *'' Hypsosinga'' Ausserer, 1871 — Asia, North America, Greenland, Africa *''
Ideocaira ''Ideocaira'' is a genus of African orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1903. it contains only two species, both found in South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Afri ...
'' Simon, 1903 — South Africa *''
Indoetra ''Indoetra'' is a monotypic genus of south Asian golden 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 i ...
'' Kuntner, 2006 — Sri Lanka *'' Isoxya'' Simon, 1885 — Africa, Yemen *'' Kaira'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 — North America, South America, Cuba, Guatemala *'' Kangaraneus'' Castanheira & Framenau, 2023 — Australia *'' Kapogea'' Levi, 1997 — Mexico, South America, Central America *''
Kilima ''Kilima'' is a genus of Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's l ...
'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Congo, Seychelles, Yemen *'' Larinia'' Simon, 1874 — Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, Oceania, North America *'' Lariniaria'' Grasshoff, 1970 — Asia *'' Larinioides'' Caporiacco, 1934 — Asia *'' Lariniophora'' Framenau, 2011 — Australia *'' Leviana'' Framenau & Kuntner, 2022 — Australia *'' Leviaraneus'' Tanikawa & Petcharad, 2023 — Asia *'' 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'' 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 ''Melychiopharis'' is a genus of South American orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. it contains only two species, both found in Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country i ...
'' 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 ''Micrathena'', known as spiny orbweavers, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. ''Micrathena'' contains more than a hundred species, most of them Neotropical woodland-dwelling species. The name is der ...
'' Sundevall, 1833 — South America, Caribbean, Central America, North America *'' Micrepeira'' Schenkel, 1953 — South America, Costa Rica *'' Micropoltys'' Kulczyński, 1911 — Papua New Guinea, Australia *'' Milonia'' Thorell, 1890 — Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar *'' Molinaranea'' Mello-Leitão, 1940 — Chile, Argentina *'' Nemoscolus'' Simon, 1895 — Africa *'' Nemosinga'' Caporiacco, 1947 — Tanzania *'' Nemospiza'' 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, although some species formerly included in the genus have been moved to '' ...
'' Leach, 1815 — Asia, Oceania, United States, Africa, South America *'' Nephilengys'' L. Koch, 1872 — Asia, Oceania *''
Nephilingis ''Nephilingis'' is a genus of spiders in the family Nephilidae. 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 ''Paraplectanoides'' is a genus of Australian orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugen von Keyserling Eugen von Keyserling (22 March 1833 in Pockroy, Lithuania – 4 April 1889 in Dzierżoniów, Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, ...
'' 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 ''Perilla'' is a genus consisting of one major Asiatic crop species '' Perilla frutescens'' and a few wild species in nature belonging to the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus encompasses several distinct varieties of Asian herb, seed, and vege ...
'' Thorell, 1895 — Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia *'' Pherenice'' Thorell, 1899 — Cameroon *''
Phonognatha ''Phonognatha'' is a genus of South Pacific orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. It was originally placed with the long-jawed orb weavers, and was moved to ''Araneidae'' in 2008. The leaf curling spider ('' Phonognatha ...
'' Simon, 1894 — Australia *'' Pitharatus'' Simon, 1895 — Malaysia, Indonesia *''
Plebs In ancient Rome, the plebeians or 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 of the gro ...
'' Joseph & Framenau, 2012 — Oceania, Asia *'' Poecilarcys'' Simon, 1895 — Tunisia *'' Poecilopachys'' Simon, 1895 — Oceania *''
Poltys :'' Poltys'' is also a genus of spiders In Greek mythology, Poltys (Ancient Greek: Πόλτυς) is a mythical king and eponym of the Thracian city of Poltyobria (or ''Poltymbria''; also called Aenus), featured in Apollodorus's account of the sto ...
'' 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'' 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 (food), 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: Arts and ent ...
'' 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 Socca is a team sports variant of football, best known in 6-a-side 40-minute format. The International Socca Federation (ISF) is a governing body for socca. History and rules Socca mainly differs from minifootball in larger size of the field ...
'' Framenau, Castanheira & Vink, 2022 — Australia *'' Spilasma'' Simon, 1897 — South America, Honduras *'' Spinepeira'' Levi, 1995 — Peru *'' Spintharidius'' Simon, 1893 — South America, Cuba *'' Taczanowskia'' 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 ''Thelacantha'' (Asian spinybacked orbweaver) is a genus of orb-weaver spiders containing the single species, ''Thelacantha brevispina''. It was first described by in 1882, and has been found in Australia, Madagascar, the Indian subcontinent, a ...
'' Hasselt, 1882 — Madagascar, Asia, Australia *'' Thorellina'' Berg, 1899 — Myanmar, Papua New Guinea *'' Togacantha'' Dahl, 1914 — Africa *''
Trichonephila ''Trichonephila'' is a genus of golden orb-weaver spiders that was first described by Friedrich Dahl in 1911, as a subgenus of '' Nephila''. ''Trichonephila'' was elevated to a genus by Kuntner ''et al.'' in 2019. Distribution and habitat '' ...
'' Dahl, 1911 — Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America, South America *'' Umbonata'' Grasshoff, 1971 — Tanzania *'' Ursa'' Simon, 1895 — Asia, South America, South Africa *''
Venomius ''Venomius'' is a genus of orb-weaver spider endemic to southern Australia, where it is found from southern Western Australia east to Tasmania. It contains only a single species, ''V. tomhardyi''. It was named after the Marvel Comics character V ...
'' Rossi, Castanheira, Baptista & Framenau, 2023 — Australia *'' 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 ban ...
'' 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 These pages list all described species of the spider family Araneidae Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and fore ...


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 University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

Pictures of ''Mangora'' species


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University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
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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 university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
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Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...
''Featured Creatures'' website HOE {{DEFAULTSORT:Orb-weaver spider