''Araneus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of common orb-weaving spiders. It includes about 650

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), ...

, among which are the European garden spider and the

barn spider The barn spider (''Araneus cavaticus'') is a common orb-weaver spider native to North America. They are around three-quarters of an inch (20 mm) in length and are usually yellow and brown in color. They often construct their webs in wooden ...

. The genus was erected by

Carl Alexander Clerck Carl Alexander Clerck (1709 – 22 July 1765) was a Sweden, Swedish entomologist and arachnology, arachnologist. Clerck came from a family in the petty Swedish nobility, nobility and entered the University of Uppsala in 1726. Little is known of hi ...

in 1757.

Description

Spiders of this genus present perhaps the most obvious case of

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 ...

among all of the orb-weaver family, with males being normally to the size of females. In ''A. diadematus'', for example, last-molt females can reach the body size up to 1 in (2.5 cm), while most males seldom grow over 0.3 in (1 cm), both excluding leg span. Males are differentiated from females by a much smaller and more elongated abdomen, longer legs, and the inability to catch or consume prey bigger than themselves. In females, the

epigyne The epigyne or epigynum is the external genital structure of female spiders. As the epigyne varies greatly in form in different species, even in closely related ones, it often provides the most distinctive characteristic for recognizing species. ...

has a long scape (a tongue-like appendage). Male

pedipalp Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the secondary pair of forward appendages among Chelicerata, chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to ...

s have a hook-like terminal apophysis. Abdominal tubercles are present anterolaterally.

Taxonomic history

''Araneus'' was, for much of its history, called ''Epeira''. The latter name is now considered a

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

of ''Araneus'', as the latter was published almost 50 years earlier. ''Epeira'' was first coined by

Charles Athanase Walckenaer Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French civil servant, writer, man of letters, and scientist. He was a polymath and wrote extensively on geography, natural history, and literature. Major contributio ...

in 1805, for a range of spiders now considered

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 forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...

(orb-weavers). Over time, a rather diverse set of spiders was grouped under this genus name, including species from the modern families

, Mimetidae (''Mimetus syllepsicus'' described by

Nicholas Marcellus Hentz Nicholas Marcellus Hentz (July 25, 1797 – November 4, 1856) was a French American educator and arachnologist. Biography Hentz was born in Versailles, France. He was the youngest child of Nicolas Hentz, Charles Nicholas Arnould Hentz and Marie-A ...

in 1832),

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 ...

Theridiidae Theridiidae, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders, is a large family of Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. This diverse, globally distributed family includes ...

, Theridiosomatidae ('' Theridiosoma gemmosum'', described by

Ludwig Carl Christian Koch Ludwig Carl Christian Koch (8 November 1825 – 1 November 1908) was a German entomologist and arachnologist. He was born in Regensburg, Germany, and died in Nuremberg, Germany. He studied in Nuremberg, initially law, but then turned to medicin ...

in 1877 as ''Theridion gemmosum''), Titanoecidae ('' Nurscia albomaculata'', described by

Hippolyte Lucas Pierre-Hippolyte Lucas (17 January 1814 – 5 July 1899) was a French entomologist. Lucas was an assistant-naturalist at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. From 1839 to 1842 he studied fauna as part of the scientific commission on the ex ...

in 1846 as ''Epeira albo-maculata'') and Uloboridae ('' Uloborus glomosus'', described by Walckenaer in 1842 as ''Epeira glomosus'').Platnick, Norman I. (2009)
The World Spider Catalog
version 9.5. ''American Museum of Natural History''. ''Epeira cylindrica'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1889 was at a time placed in the

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 ...

and is considered ''

incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'', as is "''Araneus''" ''cylindriformis'' ( Roewer, 1942). ''Epeira'' was synonymized with the genus ''Aranea'' by

William Elford Leach William Elford Leach (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. Life and work Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a medical apprenticesh ...

in 1815, and with ''Araneus'' 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 birds and plants. He is by far the most prolific spider Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist in history, ...

in 1904, though this synonymy was not universally recognized.Bonnet, Pierre (1955): ''Bibliographia Araneorum''. Vol. 2. Throughout the 19th century, ''Epeira'' was used as a catch-all genus, similar to the once ubiquitous salticid genus ''

Attus ''Attus'' is a taxon name that is now considered a junior synonym of '' Salticus''. In the early 19th century, most jumping spiders were grouped together as a single genus under the name ''Attus''. The genus was originally described in 1805 by C ...

''. However, from 1911, to its last mention in 1957, only very few authors continued to use the genus in their publications, notably Franganillo (1913, 1918), Hingston (1932), Kaston (1948), and Marples (1957). Chamberlin and Ivie published a new species, ''Epeira miniata'', in 1944, which was rejected.

Jean-Henri Fabre Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (; 21 December 1823 – 11 October 1915) was a French naturalist, entomologist, and author known for the lively style of his popular books on the lives of insects. Biography Fabre was born on 21 December 1823 in Saint- ...

refers to '' Argiope'' spiders as ''Epeira'' in his 1928 book ''The Life of the Spider'' (''La Vie des araignées''), within the family "Epeirae".

James Henry Emerton James Henry Emerton (March 31, 1847 – December 5, 1931) was an American arachnologist and illustrator. Early life Emerton was born at Salem, Massachusetts, on March 31, 1847. He was rather frail, and a young helper in his father's drug store, G ...

also uses the genus ''Epeira'' in his 1902 book ''The Common Spiders of the United States'', but refers to spiders mostly now considered ''Araneus''. The popular 1893 book ''American Spiders and their Spinningwork'' by Henry Christopher McCook also uses ''Epeira'' extensively. The short documentary ''Epeira diadema'' (1952) by Italian director Alberto Ancilotto was nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

in 1953. It is about the spider today known as ''

Araneus diadematus The spider species ''Araneus diadematus'' is commonly called the European garden spider, cross orbweaver, diadem spider, orangie, cross spider, and crowned orb weaver. It is sometimes called the pumpkin spider, although this name is also used fo ...

''.

Venom

''Araneus'' spider

venom 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 ...

s vary in toxicity, but often deliver a

dry bite A dry bite is a bite by a venomous animal in which no venom is released. Dry snake bites are called "venomous snake bite without envenoming". A dry bite from a snake can still be painful, and be accompanied by bleeding, inflammation, swelling and/o ...

(8 of 10 occasions). Females bite more often than males, which would rather flee or feign death.

References

External links

Image of variations in ''A. trifolium''
(fro

Pictures of US ''Araneus'' species
(free for noncommercial use)
Pictures of ''A. trifolium''
(free for noncommercial use) {{Authority control Araneidae genera Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck

Description

Taxonomic history

Venom

See also

References

External links