''Neoscona'', known as spotted orb-weavers and barn spiders, 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 orb-weaver spiders (Araneidae) 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 birds and plants. He is by far the most prolific spider Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist in history, ...

in 1895 to separate these from other araneids in the now obsolete genus '' Epeira''. The name ''Neoscona'' was derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, meaning "spin", and , meaning "

reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * Re ...

". They have a mostly

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical' ...

distribution and one species, ''

Neoscona adianta ''Neoscona adianta'' is a species of spider belonging to the family Araneidae. It occurs in North Africa and Europe to Central Asia. The coloration includes a brown to red abdomen marked with a series of black-bordered white or cream triangles. ...

'', has a

palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. Th ...

distribution. The genus has more than 100 species (see below), eight of which can be found in the United States and Canada as of April 2019.

Description

''Neoscona'' species are among the most common spiders in North America and are found throughout most parts of the world. There are large variations in the dorsal patterns and coloration of the abdomen, even in a single species. Most have a light color with wavy edges along the mid-line, and darker swirls either side of that. Ventral abdominal patterns may consist of a dark area bordered by white, roughly forming a square. In adults the pattern can be faded. The venter of the abdomen is dark bordered on the sides by white spots. ''Neoscona'' can be difficult to distinguish from species of ''

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 ...

'' without close examination of the

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

. ''Neoscona'' have a characteristic dorsal groove on the

that is parallel with the long axis of the body. The dorsal grooves of ''Araneus'' are transverse or angular, though they are sometimes so small that they appear as dimples on the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

surface. With the leg arrangement, the first are the longest, the second are second longest and the third are the shortest. The largest eyes are the anterior medians, next or subequal are posterior medians and the secondary eyes are slightly smaller. The webs are usually vertical with about twenty radii and an open hub at the centre. Some species have been recorded as retreating to a leaf during the day.

Species

there are 123 species worldwide:

Gallery

File: Neoscona arabesca P1300817b.jpg , '' Neoscona arabesca'' Oklahoma, USA File: Neoscona crucifera, Meadowood Farm SRMA, Mason Neck, Virginia.jpg , '' Neoscona crucifera'' with prey Virginia, USA File: Red-femurred Spotted Orbweaver - Neoscona domiciliorum, Leesylvania State Park, Woodbridge, Virginia.jpg , '' Neoscona domiciliorum ''Virginia, USA File:NeoscanaOaxacensisLagunaBeach1.JPG, '' Neoscona oaxacensis'' California, USA Neoscona theisi 1392.jpg, '' Neoscona theisi'' Queensland, Australia Neoscona theisi (ventral) 4146.jpg, '' Neoscona theisi'' female ventral, Queensland, Australia

References

External links

Comparison of larger male orb-weavers of the United States and Canada
at BugGuide

by the

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 ...

{{Authority control Araneidae genera Cosmopolitan spiders Taxa named by Eugène Simon