''Araneus'' is a genus of common orb-weaving spiders. It includes about 650 species, among which are the

European garden spider The spider species ''Araneus diadematus'' is commonly called the European garden spider, diadem spider, orangie, cross spider, and crowned orb weaver. It is sometimes called the pumpkin spider, although this name is also used for a different spec ...

and the barn spider. The genus was erected by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1757.

Description

Spiders of this genus present perhaps the most obvious case of sexual dimorphism among all of the orb-weaver family, with males being normally to the size of females. In ''A. diadematus'', for example, last-molt females can reach the body size up to 1 in (2.5 cm), while most males seldom grow over 0.3 in (1 cm), both excluding leg span. Males are differentiated from females by a much smaller and more elongated abdomen, longer legs, and the inability to catch or consume prey bigger than themselves. In females, the

epigyne The epigyne or epigynum is the external genital structure of female spiders. As the epigyne varies greatly in form in different species, even in closely related ones, it often provides the most distinctive characteristic for recognizing species. ...

has a long scape (a tongue-like appendage). Male pedipalps have a hook-like terminal apophysis. Abdominal tubercles are present anterolaterally.

Taxonomic history

''Araneus'' was, for much of its history, called ''Epeira''. The latter name is now considered a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of ''Araneus'', as the latter was published almost 50 years earlier. ''Epeira'' was first coined by

Charles Athanase Walckenaer Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French civil servant and scientist. Biography Walckenaer was born in Paris and studied at the universities of University of Oxford, Oxford and University of Glasgow ...

in 1805, for a range of spiders now considered

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 ...

(orb-weavers). Over time, a rather diverse set of spiders was grouped under this genus name, including species from the modern families

, Mimetidae (''Mimetus syllepsicus'' described by Nicholas Marcellus Hentz in 1832),

Tetragnathidae Long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae) are a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Anton Menge in 1866. They have elongated bodies, legs, and chelicerae, and build small orb webs with an open hub with few, wide-se ...

, Theridiidae,

Theridiosomatidae The ray spiders (Theridiosomatidae) are a family of spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1881. They are most recognizable for their construction of cone-shaped webs. The family contains several genera which actively hunt for prey by using ...

(''

Theridiosoma gemmosum ''Theridiosoma gemmosum'' is a species of spider in the family Theridiosomatidae, known as ray spiders. It is widely distributed in the Holarctic region. A small spider with a shiny globular abdomen, it constructs a conical orb web. Description ...

'', described by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1877 as ''Theridion gemmosum''), Titanoecidae (''

Nurscia albomaculata ''Nurscia'' is a genus of spiders in the family Titanoecidae. It is a relatively widespread genus with species being found in both Europe and Asia. Species * ''Nurscia albofasciata ''Nurscia'' is a genus of spiders in the family Titanoecidae. ...

'', described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846 as ''Epeira albo-maculata'') and Uloboridae ('' Uloborus glomosus'', described by Walckenaer in 1842 as ''Epeira glomosus'').Platnick, Norman I. (2009)
The World Spider Catalog
version 9.5. ''American Museum of Natural History''. ''Epeira cylindrica'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1889 was at a time placed in the Linyphiidae and is considered '' incertae sedis'', as is "''Araneus''" ''cylindriformis'' ( Roewer, 1942). ''Epeira'' was synonymized with the genus ''Aranea'' by William Elford Leach in 1815, and with ''Araneus'' 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 taxonomist in history, describing over 4, ...

in 1904, though this synonymy was not universally recognized. Bonnet, Pierre (1955): ''Bibliographia Araneorum''. Vol. 2. Throughout the 19th century, ''Epeira'' was used as a catch-all genus, similar to the once ubiquitous salticid genus '' Attus''. However, from 1911, to its last mention in 1957, only very few authors continued to use the genus in their publications, notably Franganillo (1913, 1918), Hingston (1932), Kaston (1948), and Marples (1957). Chamberlin and Ivie published a new species, ''Epeira miniata'', in 1944, which was rejected. Jean-Henri Fabre refers to '' Argiope'' spiders as ''Epeira'' in his 1928 book ''The Life of the Spider'' (''La Vie des araignées''), within the family "Epeirae". James Henry Emerton also uses the genus ''Epeira'' in his 1902 book ''The Common Spiders of the United States'', but refers to spiders mostly now considered ''Araneus''. The popular 1893 book ''American Spiders and their Spinningwork'' by Henry Christopher McCook also uses ''Epeira'' extensively. The short documentary ''Epeira diadema'' (1952) by Italian director

Alberto Ancilotto Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic ''Albert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. The diminutive forms are ''Albertito'' in Spain or ''Albertico'' in some parts of Latin America, Albertin ...

was nominated for an Oscar in 1953. It is about the spider today known as '' Araneus diadematus''.

Venom

''Araneus'' spider venoms vary in toxicity, but often deliver a dry bite (8 of 10 occasions). Females bite more often than males, which would rather flee or

feign death Apparent death, colloquially known as playing dead, feigning death, or playing possum, is a behavior in which animals take on the appearance of being dead. It is an immobile state most often triggered by a predatory attack and can be found in a ...

References

External links

Image of variations in ''A. trifolium''
(fro

Pictures of US ''Araneus'' species
(free for noncommercial use)
Pictures of ''A. trifolium''
(free for noncommercial use) {{Taxonbar, from=Q1413947 Araneomorphae genera Taxa named by Carl Alexander Clerck

Description

Taxonomic history

Venom

See also

References

External links