Orb-weaver spider
| Orb-weaver spiders Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Argiope catenulata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Superfamily: | Araneoidea |
| Family: | 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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
MW_orbwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
WSC_statswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ 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.
- ^ 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.