Long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae) are a family of

araneomorph The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha or "true spiders") are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (taran ...

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 ...

s first described by

Anton Menge Franz Anton Menge (15 February 1808 in Arnsberg – 27 January 1880 in Danzig) was a German entomologist. Menge was a student of Physics, Chemistry and Natural history, Natural History at the University of Bonn He became professor at the Petris ...

in 1866. They have elongated bodies, legs, and

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as "jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated ...

, and build small orb webs with an open hub with few, wide-set radii and spirals with no signal line or retreat. Some species are often found in long

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...

near water.

Systematics

, 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 extant genera: *'' Allende'' Álvarez-Padilla, 2007 — Chile, Argentina *'' Antillognatha'' Bryant, 1945 — Hispaniola *'' Atelidea'' Simon, 1895 — Sri Lanka *'' Azilia'' Keyserling, 1881 — United States, Panama, South America, Caribbean *'' Chrysometa'' Simon, 1894 — South America, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean *'' Cyrtognatha'' Keyserling, 1881 — South America, Central America, Caribbean, Mexico *'' Dianleucauge'' Song & Zhu, 1994 — China *'' Diphya'' Nicolet, 1849 — Asia, South America, Africa *'' Dolichognatha'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 — Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, United States, Panama *'' Doryonychus'' Simon, 1900 — Hawaii *'' Dyschiriognatha'' Simon, 1893 — Indonesia, Brazil, Samoa *'' Glenognatha'' Simon, 1887 — Africa, South America, Asia, North America, Central America, Caribbean *'' Harlanethis'' Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — Australia (Queensland) *'' Hispanognatha'' Bryant, 1945 — Hispaniola *'' Homalometa'' Simon, 1898 — Central America, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil *'' Iamarra'' Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — Australia (Queensland) *''

Leucauge ''Leucauge'' is a spider genus of long-jawed orb weavers, with over 160 species and fully pantropical distribution. The genus was first documented in Scottish zoologist Adam White's 1841 ''Description of new or little known Arachnida''. Charl ...

'' White, 1841 (including ''Opas'') — Africa, North America, Asia, Oceania, South America, Central America, Caribbean *'' Leucognatha'' Wunderlich, 1992 — Azores, Kenya, Tanzania *'' Mesida'' Kulczyński, 1911 — Oceania, Asia, Africa *'' Meta'' C. L. Koch, 1836 — Asia, North America, Tanzania, Oceania, Cuba *'' Metabus'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899 — Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic *'' Metellina'' Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — Africa, Asia, Canada *'' Metleucauge'' Levi, 1980 — Asia, United States *'' Mitoscelis'' Thorell, 1890 — Indonesia *'' Mollemeta'' Álvarez-Padilla, 2007 — Chile *'' Nanningia'' Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 *'' Nanometa'' Simon, 1908 — Australia *'' Neoprolochus'' Reimoser, 1927 — Indonesia *'' Okileucauge'' Tanikawa, 2001 — China, Japan *'' Orsinome'' Thorell, 1890 — Asia, Oceania, Madagascar *'' Pachygnatha'' Sundevall, 1823 — Africa, Asia, North America, Cuba, Europe *'' Parameta'' Simon, 1895 — Ethiopia, Somalia, Sierra Leone *'' Parazilia'' Lessert, 1938 — Congo *'' Pholcipes'' Schmidt & Krause, 1993 — Comoros *'' Pickardinella'' Archer, 1951 — Mexico *'' Pinkfloydia'' Dimitrov & Hormiga, 2011 — Australia *'' Sancus'' Tullgren, 1910 — Kenya, Tanzania *'' Schenkeliella'' Strand, 1934 — Sri Lanka *'' Taraire'' Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — New Zealand *'' Tawhai'' Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — New Zealand *''

Tetragnatha ''Tetragnatha'' is a genus of long-jawed orb-weavers found all over the world. It was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804, and it contains hundreds of species. Most occur in the tropics and subtropics, and many can run over water. ...

'' Latreille, 1804 — Asia, South America, Oceania, Africa, North America, Caribbean, Central America, Europe *'' Timonoe'' Thorell, 1898 — Myanmar *'' Tylorida'' Simon, 1894 — Asia, Africa, Oceania *'' Wolongia'' Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 — China *'' Zhinu'' Kallal & Hormiga, 2018 — Taiwan, Korea, Japan *'' Zygiometella'' Wunderlich, 1995 — Israel

Fossil genera

Several extinct, fossil genera have been described:Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2018. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives. In World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, version 19.0, accessed on 7 October 2018. * †'' Anameta'' Wunderlich, 2004 (

Palaeogene The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...

, Bitterfield and

Baltic amber Baltic amber or succinite is amber from the Baltic region, home of its largest known deposits. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that this forested region provided the re ...

) * †'' Balticgnatha'' Wunderlich, 2004 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber) * †'' Corneometa'' Wunderlich, 2004 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber) * †'' Eometa'' Petrunkevitch, 1958 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber) * †'' Huergnina'' Selden & Penney, 2003 (

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 ...

, Las Hoyas, Spain) * †'' Macryphantes'' Selden, 1990 (Cretaceous) * †'' Palaeometa'' Petrunkevitch, 1922 (Palaeogene, Florissant) * †'' Palaeopachygnatha'' Petrunkevitch, 1922 (Palaeogene, Florissant) * †'' Priscometa'' Petrunkevitch, 1958 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber) * †'' Samlandicmeta'' Wunderlich, 2012 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)

Formerly placed here

* '' Deliochus'' Simon, 1894 – now in

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 ...

* ''Eryciniolia'' Strand, 1912 – now a synonym of '' Nanometa'' * ''Menosira'' Chikuni, 1955 – now a synonym of '' Metellina'' * ''Nediphya'' Marusik & Omelko, 2017 – now a synonym of '' Nanometa'' * '' Phonognatha'' Simon, 1894 – now in Araneidae * ''Prolochus'' Thorell, 1895 – see '' Dolichognatha''

References

* Chickering, A.M. (1963). The Male of ''Mecynometa globosa'' (O. P.-Cambridge) (Araneae, Argiopidae). '' Psyche'' 70:180–183
PDF

External links

Tree of Life Tetragnathidae

Large format diagnostic photographs and information

Pictures of ''Tetragnatha sp.''
(free for noncommercial use) {{Authority control * Articles containing video clips

Systematics

Fossil genera

Formerly placed here

See also

References

External links