Orb-weaver spider

Orb-weaver spiders
Temporal range: Cretaceous–present
Argiope catenulata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Superfamily: Araneoidea
Family: Araneidae
Clerck, 1757
Diversity
186 genera, 3108 species

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",[1] hence the English name of the group. Araneids have eight similar eyes, hairy or spiny legs, and no stridulating organs.

The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, including many well-known large or brightly colored garden spiders. With 3,108 species in 186 genera worldwide, the Araneidae comprise one of the largest family of spiders (with the Salticidae and Linyphiidae).[2] Araneid webs are constructed in a stereotypical fashion, where a framework of nonsticky silk is built up before the spider adds a final spiral of silk covered in sticky droplets.

Orb webs are also produced by members of other spider families. The long-jawed orb weavers (Tetragnathidae) were formerly included in the Araneidae; they are closely related, being part of the superfamily Araneoidea. The family Arkyidae has been split off from the Araneidae.[3][4][2] The cribellate or hackled orb-weavers (Uloboridae) belong to a different group of spiders. Their webs are strikingly similar, but use a different kind of silk.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference MW_orb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference WSC_stats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Dimitrov, Dimitar; Benavides, Ligia R.; Arnedo, Miquel A.; Giribet, Gonzalo; Griswold, Charles E.; Scharff, Nikolaj & Hormiga, Gustavo (2016). "Rounding up the usual suspects: a standard target-gene approach for resolving the interfamilial phylogenetic relationships of ecribellate orb-weaving spiders with a new family-rank classification (Araneae, Araneoidea)" (PDF). Cladistics. 33 (3): 221–250. doi:10.1111/cla.12165. PMID 34715728. S2CID 34962403. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  4. ^ Dimitrov, Dimitar; Hormiga, Gustavo (2021-01-07). "Spider Diversification Through Space and Time". Annual Review of Entomology. 66 (1). Annual Reviews: 225–241. doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-061520-083414. ISSN 0066-4170. PMID 32822555. S2CID 221235817.