Acanthepeira | |
---|---|
Acanthepeira stellata | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Araneidae |
Genus: | Acanthepeira Marx, 1883 [1] |
Type species | |
A. stellata (Walckenaer, 1805) | |
Species | |
5, see text |
Acanthepeira is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by George Marx in 1883. [2]
As of April 2019 [update] it contains five species: [1]
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 of the group. Araneids have eight similar eyes, hairy or spiny legs, and no stridulating organs.
Lampshade spiders, family Hypochilidae, are among the most primitive of araneomorph spiders. There are two genera and twelve species currently recognized. Like mygalomorphs, most hypochilids have two pairs of book lungs, but like araneomorphs they have intersecting fangs, with the exception of some species which have chelicerae in an angle that is neither orthognathous or labidognathous. These long-legged spiders build typical "lampshade" style webs under overhangs and in caves. In the United States the fauna is primarily associated with the Appalachian, Rocky and California Mountains. Ten of the known species are found in these ranges, all in the genus Hypochilus. The genus Ectatosticta is found in China.
Uloborus is a spider genus in the family Uloboridae with 80 described species. Most species occur in the tropics and subtropics, with only few species in northern America and Europe.
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 web decoration in Cyclosa spiders is often linear and includes prey remains and other debris, which probably serve to camouflage the spider. The name "Cyclosa" comes from Greek 'to move in a circle', referring to how it spins its web.
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 derived from the Greek "micro", meaning "small", and the goddess Athena.
Theridion is a genus of tangle-web spiders with a worldwide distribution. Notable species are the Hawaiian happy face spider (T. grallator), named for the iconic symbol on its abdomen, and T. nigroannulatum, one of few spider species that lives in social groups, attacking prey en masse to overwhelm them as a team.
Chrosiothes is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1894. It is considered a senior synonym of Theridiotis.
Kaira, sometimes called frilled orbweavers, is a mostly neotropical genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1889. It includes sixteen described species that occur from South America up to the southern and eastern USA. It is presumably related to Aculepeira, Amazonepeira and Metepeira.
Coneweb spiders (Diguetidae) are six-eyed haplogyne spiders that live in tangled space webs, fashioning a cone-like central retreat where they hide and lay eggs. It is a small family, containing only two genera split between a range in the Southwestern United States and Mexico and a range in South America. Members of the genus Diguetia usually build their webs in shrubs or between cactus pads. They have the same eye arrangement as the venomous recluse spiders, but none are known to be harmful to humans.
Acacesia is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. It contains six species with a mostly neotropical distribution, ranging from South America to Mexico. One species, A. hamata, is found in the US as well.
Larinia is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1874.
Mastophora, also known as bolas spiders, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by E. L. Holmberg in 1876. They can be identified by a pair of lumps on the dorsal surface of the opisthosoma, though not all males will have these lumps.
Dipoena is a genus of tangle-web spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1869.
Metazygia is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1904. They physically resemble members of Nuctenea, but they do not have fine setae on the carapace.
Ocrepeira is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by George Marx in 1883.
Hentziectypus is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1946. Originally placed with Theridion, it was moved to Achaearanea in 1955, and to its own genus in 2008. These spiders most resemble members of Cryptachaea, but are distinguished by a median apophysis that is broadly attached to the tegulum. Spiders of Parasteatoda have a median apophysis attached to the embolus, while those of Achaearanea have a hooked paracymbium on the pedipalps of males.
Thymoites is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Eugen von Keyserling in 1884.
Acanthepeira cherokee is a species of orb weaver in the family Araneidae. It is found in the USA.
Acanthepeira stellata, known generally as the starbellied orbweaver or starbellied spider, is a species of orb weaver in the spider family Araneidae. It is found in a range from Canada to Mexico. It is most commonly found along the Eastern and Western coastline of North America.