''Neoscona oaxacensis'', known as western spotted orbweaver and zig-zag spider, is a species of spider in the family

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 ...

. It is distributed in the Americas, from Kansas and California south to Venezuela and Peru, including the Galápagos Islands.

Description

''Neoscona oaxacensis'' is a relatively large spider, females being about 9–18 mm (0.35–0.7 in) long overall, with a carapace of about 4–8 mm (0.15–0.3 in) long by 3–6 mm (0.1–0.25 in) wide. Males are smaller, being about 6–13 mm (0.25–0.5 in) long overall, with a carapace of about 3–6 mm (0.1–0.25 in) long by 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. Specimens from the Galápagos are among the largest found. The black-and-white pattern on the upper (dorsal) surface of the abdomen is considered to be distinctive. South American specimens have a more slender abdomen than North American ones, with a more distinct light central band, which has a wavy border. Females have an

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. ...

appearing 2.5 times as long as wide when viewed from the rear. Males have a palp with an S-shaped conductor.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Eugen Keyserling in 1863, as ''Epeira oaxacensis''. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''oaxacensis'' refers to Keyserling's description of its origin as Oaxaca, Mexico. (The Latin ending ''-ensis'' is commonly added to a place name to mean "originating from".) The genus ''Epeira'' was divided 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 1864, one of the divisions being ''Neoscona''. F.O. Pickard-Cambridge placed ''Epeira oaxacensis'' in ''Neoscona'' in 1904. When found in the Galápagos, the species is often called ''Neoscona cooksoni'' and is said to be endemic, but this name is now regarded as a synonym of ''N. oaxacensis''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1996371 oaxacensis Spiders of North America Spiders of South America Spiders described in 1863