Cobweb Spider

Theridiidae, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders, is a large family of araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. This diverse, globally distributed family includes over 3,000 species in 124 genera, and is the most common arthropod found in human dwellings throughout the world.

Theridiid spiders are both entelegyne, meaning that the females have a genital plate, and ecribellate, meaning that they spin sticky capture silk instead of woolly silk. They have a comb of serrated bristles ( setae) on the tarsus of the fourth leg.

The family includes some model organisms for research, including the medically important widow spiders. They are important to studies characterizing their venom and its clinical manifestation, but widow spiders are also used in research on spider silk and sexual biology, including sexual cannibalism. '' Anelosimus'' are also model organisms, used for the study of sociality, because it has evolved frequently within the genus, allowing comparative studies across species, and because it contains species varying from solitary to permanently social. These spiders are also a promising model for the study of inbreeding because all permanently social species are highly inbred.

The Hawaiian '' Theridion grallator'' is used as a model to understand the selective forces and the genetic basis of color polymorphism within species. ''T. grallator'' is known as the "happyface" spider, as certain morphs have a pattern resembling a smiley face or a grinning clown face on their yellow body.

Webs

They often build tangle space webs, hence the common name, but Theridiidae has a large diversity of spider web forms. Many trap ants and other ground dwelling insects using elastic, sticky silk trap lines leading to the soil surface. Webs remain in place for extended periods and are expanded and repaired, but no regular pattern of web replacement has been observed.

The well studied kleptoparasitic members of Argyrodinae ('' Argyrodes'', '' Faiditus'', and '' Neospintharus'') live in the webs of larger spiders and pilfer small prey caught by their host's web. They eat prey killed by the host spider, consume silk from the host web, and sometimes attack and eat the host itself.

Theridiid gumfoot-webs consist of frame lines that anchor them to surroundings and of support threads, which possess viscid silk. These can either have a central retreat ('' Achaearanea''-type) or a peripheral retreat (''Latrodectus''-type). Building gum-foot lines is a unique, stereotyped behaviour, and is likely homologous for Theridiidae and its sister family Nesticidae.

Among webs without gumfooted lines, some contain viscid silk ('' Theridion''-type) and some that are sheet-like, which do not contain viscid silk (''Coleosoma''-type). However, there are many undescribed web forms.

Genera

The largest genus is '' Theridion'' with over 600 species, but it is not monophyletic. ''Parasteatoda'', previously '' Achaearanea'', is another large genus that includes the North American common house spider.
, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera:

*'' Achaearanea'' Strand, 1929 – Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, Central America
*''Achaearyopa'' Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
*''Achaeridion'' Wunderlich, 2008 – Turkey
*''Allothymoites'' Ono, 2007 – China, Japan
*''Ameridion'' Wunderlich, 1995 – Central America, Caribbean, Mexico, South America
*''Anatea'' Berland, 1927 – Australia
*''Anatolidion'' Wunderlich, 2008 – Africa, Europe, Turkey
*'' Anelosimus'' Simon, 1891 – Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceania, Central America, Caribbean
*''Argyrodella'' Saaristo, 2006 – Seychelles
*'' Argyrodes'' Simon, 1864 – Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America, South America, Jamaica
*''Ariamnes'' Thorell, 1869 – Costa Rica, South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Mexico, Cuba
*''Asagena'' Sundevall, 1833 – North America, Asia, Europe, Algeria
*''Asygyna'' Agnarsson, 2006 – Madagascar
*''Audifia'' Keyserling, 1884 – Guinea-Bissau, Congo, Brazil
*''Bardala'' Saaristo, 2006 – Seychelles
*''Borneoridion'' Deeleman & Wunderlich, 2011 – Indonesia
*''Brunepisinus'' Yoshida & Koh, 2011 – Indonesia
*''Cabello'' Levi, 1964 – Venezuela
*''Cameronidion'' Wunderlich, 2011 – Malaysia
*''Campanicola'' Yoshida, 2015 – Asia
*''Canalidion'' Wunderlich, 2008 – Russia
*''Carniella'' Thaler & Steinberger, 1988 – Europe, Angola, Asia
*''Cephalobares'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 – Sri Lanka, China
*''Cerocida'' Simon, 1894 – Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana
*''Chikunia'' Yoshida, 2009 – Asia
*''Chorizopella'' Lawrence, 1947 – South Africa
*''Chrosiothes'' Simon, 1894 – North America, South America, Central America, Caribbean, Asia
*''Chrysso'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1882 – North America, South America, Central America, Asia, Trinidad, Europe
*''Coleosoma'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1882 – United States, South America, Seychelles, Asia, New Zealand
*''Coscinida'' Simon, 1895 – Asia, Africa
*''Craspedisia'' Simon, 1894 – Brazil
*''Crustulina'' Menge, 1868 – Ukraine, United States, Africa, Oceania, Asia
*''Cryptachaea'' Archer, 1946 – South America, North America, Oceania, Central America, Asia, Trinidad, Belgium
*''Cyllognatha'' L. Koch, 1872 – Samoa, Australia, India
*''Deelemanella'' Yoshida, 2003 – Indonesia
*''Dipoena'' Thorell, 1869 – North America, Oceania, Asia, Central America, South America, Caribbean, Africa, Europe
*''Dipoenata'' Wunderlich, 1988 – Panama, South America, Malta
*''Dipoenura'' Simon, 1909 – Asia, Sierra Leone
*'' Echinotheridion'' Levi, 1963 – South America
*''Emertonella'' Bryant, 1945 – North America, Asia, Papua New Guinea
*''Enoplognatha'' Pavesi, 1880 – Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, North America, South America
*''Episinus'' Walckenaer, 1809 – Asia, South America, Europe, North America, New Zealand, Central America, Africa, Caribbean
*''Euryopis'' Menge, 1868 – Asia, North America, South America, Jamaica, Europe, Oceania, Africa, Panama
*''Eurypoena'' Wunderlich, 1992 – Canary Is.
*''Exalbidion'' Wunderlich, 1995 – Central America, South America, Mexico
*'' Faiditus'' Keyserling, 1884 – South America, North America, Central America, Caribbean, Asia
*''Gmogala'' Keyserling, 1890 – Papua New Guinea, Australia
*''Grancanaridion'' Wunderlich, 2011 – Canary Is.
*''Guaraniella'' Baert, 1984 – Brazil, Paraguay
*''Hadrotarsus'' Thorell, 1881 – Oceania, Belgium, Taiwan
*''Helvibis'' Keyserling, 1884 – South America, Panama, Trinidad
*''Helvidia'' Thorell, 1890 – Indonesia
*''Hentziectypus'' Archer, 1946 – Caribbean, Panama, North America, South America
*'' Heterotheridion'' Wunderlich, 2008 – Turkey, Russia, China
*''Hetschkia'' Keyserling, 1886 – Brazil
*''Histagonia'' Simon, 1895 – South Africa
*'' Icona'' Forster, 1955 – New Zealand
*''Jamaitidion'' Wunderlich, 1995 – Jamaica
*''Janula'' Strand, 1932 – Asia, South America, Australia, Panama, Trinidad
*''Keijiella'' Yoshida, 2016 – Asia
*'' Kochiura'' Archer, 1950 – Chile, Turkey, Brazil
*''Landoppo'' Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
*''Lasaeola'' Simon, 1881 – Europe, North America, Panama, South America, Asia
*''Latrodectus'' Walckenaer, 1805 – South America, North America, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Africa
*''Macaridion'' Wunderlich, 1992 – Europe
*'' Magnopholcomma'' Wunderlich, 2008 – Australia
*''Meotipa'' Simon, 1894 – Asia, Papua New Guinea
*''Molione'' Thorell, 1892 – Asia
*''Moneta'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 – Oceania, Asia, Seychelles
*'' Montanidion'' Wunderlich, 2011 – Malaysia
*''Nanume'' Saaristo, 2006 – Seychelles
*''Neopisinus'' Marques, Buckup & Rodrigues, 2011 – Panama, Caribbean, South America, North America
*'' Neospintharus'' Exline, 1950 – North America, Asia, South America, Central America
*''Neottiura'' Menge, 1868 – Asia, Europe, Algeria
*'' Nesopholcomma'' Ono, 2010 – Japan
*''Nesticodes'' Archer, 1950 – Asia, New Zealand
*'' Nihonhimea'' Yoshida, 2016 – Asia, Seychelles, Oceania, Mexico
*''Nipponidion'' Yoshida, 2001 – Japan
*''Nojimaia'' Yoshida, 2009 – China, Japan
*''Ohlertidion'' Wunderlich, 2008 – Greenland, Russia
*''Okumaella'' Yoshida, 2009 – Japan
*''Paidiscura'' Archer, 1950 – Europe, Algeria, Asia
*''Parasteatoda'' Archer, 1946 – Asia, Oceania, Cuba, North America, Argentina, Seychelles
*''Paratheridula'' Levi, 1957 – United States, Chile
*''Pholcomma'' Thorell, 1869 – Oceania, North America, Asia, South America
*''Phoroncidia'' Westwood, 1835 – Asia, Africa, North America, Caribbean, South America, Oceania, Europe, Costa Rica
*'' Phycosoma'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879 – North America, Asia, Africa, Jamaica, Panama, Brazil, New Zealand
*''Phylloneta'' Archer, 1950 – Asia, United States, Spain
*'' Platnickina'' Koçak & Kemal, 2008 – North America, Asia, Africa
*''Proboscidula'' Miller, 1970 – Angola, Rwanda
*''Propostira'' Simon, 1894 – India, Sri Lanka
*'' Pycnoepisinus'' Wunderlich, 2008 – Kenya
*'' Rhomphaea'' L. Koch, 1872 – Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, North America, Europe, Central America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
*'' Robertus'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879 – Europe, North America, Asia, Congo
*''Ruborridion'' Wunderlich, 2011 – India
*''Rugathodes'' Archer, 1950 – Asia, North America
*''Sardinidion'' Wunderlich, 1995 – Africa, Europe
*'' Selkirkiella'' Berland, 1924 – Chile, Argentina
*''Sesato'' Saaristo, 2006 – Seychelles
*''Seycellesa'' Koçak & Kemal, 2008 – Seychelles
*''Simitidion'' Wunderlich, 1992 – Europe, Asia, Canada
*'' Spheropistha'' Yaginuma, 1957 – Japan, China
*'' Spinembolia'' Saaristo, 2006 – Seychelles
*''Spintharus'' Hentz, 1850 – Pakistan, Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil
*''Steatoda'' Sundevall, 1833 – Oceania, North America, Asia, Europe, South America, Africa
*''Stemmops'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894 – South America, North America, Central America, Caribbean, Asia
*''Stoda'' Saaristo, 2006 – Seychelles
*'' Styposis'' Simon, 1894 – United States, South America, Central America, Congo
*''Takayus'' Yoshida, 2001 – Asia
*''Tamanidion'' Wunderlich, 2011 – Malaysia
*'' Tekellina'' Levi, 1957 – United States, Brazil, Asia
*'' Theonoe'' Simon, 1881 – Tanzania, Europe, North America
*'' Theridion'' Walckenaer, 1805 – Asia, North America, Central America, Europe, South America, Africa, Oceania, Caribbean
*''Theridula'' Emerton, 1882 – Spain, Africa, North America, Central America, Asia, South America
*'' Thwaitesia'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 – Panama, South America, Africa, Asia, Oceania, Trinidad
*''Thymoites'' Keyserling, 1884 – South America, Central America, Asia, North America, Caribbean, Greenland, Tanzania
*'' Tidarren'' Chamberlin & Ivie, 1934 – Africa, Yemen, North America, Argentina, Costa Rica
*''Tomoxena'' Simon, 1895 – Indonesia, India
*'' Wamba'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 – North America, South America, Panama
*''Wirada'' Keyserling, 1886 – Mexico, South America
*''Yaginumena'' Yoshida, 2002 – Asia
*''Yoroa'' Baert, 1984 – Papua New Guinea, Australia
*''Yunohamella'' Yoshida, 2007 – Asia, Europe
*''Zercidium'' Benoit, 1977 – St. Helena

About 35 extinct genera have also been placed in the family. The oldest known stem-group member of the family is '' Cretotheridion'' from the Cenomanian aged Burmese amber of Myanmar.

See also

* List of Theridiidae species

References

Further reading

* Agnarsson I. 2006c. Phylogenetic placement of Echinotheridion (Araneae: Theridiidae) - do male sexual organ removal, emasculation, and sexual cannibalism in Echinotheridion and Tidarren represent evolutionary replicas? Invertebrate Systematics 20: 415-429
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* Agnarsson I. 2004. Morphological phylogeny of cobweb spiders and their relatives (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141: 447-626
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* Arnedo, M.A., Coddington, J., Agnarsson, I. & Gillespie, R.G. (2004). From a comb to a tree: phylogenetic relationships of the comb-footed spiders (Araneae, Theridiidae) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial genes. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 31:225-245
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* Arnedo MA, Agnarsson I, Gillespie RG. In Press. Molecular insights into the phylogenetic structure of the spider genus Theridion (Araneae, Theridiidae) and the origin of the Hawaiian Theridion-like fauna. Zoologica Scripta.
* Aviles, L., Maddison, W.P. and Agnarsson, I. 2006. A new independently derived social spider with explosive colony proliferation and a female size dimorphism. Biotropica, 38: 743-753.
* Gillespie, R.G. and Tabashnik, B.E. 1994. Foraging Behavior of the Hawaiian Happy Face Spider (Araneae, Theridiidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 87: 815-822.
* Oxford, G.S. and Gillespie, R.G. 1996. Genetics of a colour polymorphism in Theridion grallator (Araneae: Theridiidae), the Hawaiian happy-face spider, from greater Maui. Heredity, 76: 238-248.

External links

Tree of Life: Theridiidae

Theridiidae research

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Extant Cretaceous first appearances
Araneomorphae families