Long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae) are a family of
araneomorph
The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha) are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their ...
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
s first described by
Anton Menge
Franz Anton Menge (15 February 1808 in Arnsberg – 27 January 1880 in Danzig) was a German entomologist.
Menge was a student of Physics, Chemistry and Natural History at the University of Bonn He became professor at the Petrischule in Danz ...
in 1866.
They have elongated bodies, legs, and
chelicerae
The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarl ...
, and build small orb webs with an open hub with few, wide-set radii and spirals with no signal line or retreat. Some species are often found in long
vegetation
Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...
near water.
Systematics
, the
World Spider Catalog
The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...
accepts the following extant genera:
*''
Alcimosphenus
''Leucauge'' () is a spider genus of long-jawed orb weavers, with over 160 species and fully pantropical distribution.
The genus was first documented in Scottish zoologist Adam White's 1841 ''Description of new or little known Arachnida''. Cha ...
''
Simon, 1895 — Caribbean
*''
Allende''
Álvarez-Padilla, 2007 — Chile, Argentina
*''
Antillognatha''
Bryant, 1945 — Hispaniola
*''
Atelidea''
Simon, 1895 — Sri Lanka
*''
Azilia''
Keyserling, 1881 — United States, Panama, South America, Caribbean
*''
Chrysometa
''Chrysometa'' is a genus of long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1894. It is a senior synonym of ''Capichameta''.
Species
it contains 146 species, found in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, an ...
''
Simon, 1894 — South America, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean
*''
Cyrtognatha
''Cyrtognatha'' is a genus of long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Eugen von Keyserling in 1881. It is a senior synonym of ''Agriognatha''.
Species
it contains twenty-one species, found in the Caribbean, South America, Guatemala, ...
''
Keyserling, 1881 — South America, Central America, Caribbean, Mexico
*''
Dianleucauge''
Song & Zhu, 1994 — China
*''
Diphya''
Nicolet, 1849 — Asia, South America, Africa
*''
Dolichognatha
''Dolichognatha'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1869. Originally placed with the Archaeidae, it was transferred to the Araneidae in 1967, and to the Tetr ...
''
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 — Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, United States, Panama
*''
Doryonychus''
Simon, 1900 — Hawaii
*''
Dyschiriognatha''
Simon, 1893 — Indonesia, Brazil, Samoa
*''
Glenognatha
''Glenognatha'' is a genus of long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1887. It was considerably revised in 2016.
Species
it contains thirty-six species, found in North America, Central America, Asia, South Am ...
''
Simon, 1887 — Africa, South America, Asia, North America, Central America, Caribbean
*''
Guizygiella
''Guizygiella'' is a genus of Asian long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by M. S. Zhu, J. P. Kim & D. X. Song in 1997.
Species
it contains six species, found in Asia:
*'' Guizygiella guangxiensis'' (Zhu & Zhang, 1993) – China, Laos ...
''
Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 — Asia
*''
Harlanethis''
Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — Australia (Queensland)
*''
Hispanognatha''
Bryant, 1945 — Hispaniola
*''
Homalometa''
Simon, 1898 — Central America, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil
*''
Iamarra''
Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — Australia (Queensland)
*''
Leucauge
''Leucauge'' () is a spider genus of long-jawed orb weavers, with over 160 species and fully pantropical distribution.
The genus was first documented in Scottish zoologist Adam White's 1841 ''Description of new or little known Arachnida''. Cha ...
''
White, 1841 — Africa, North America, Asia, Oceania, South America, Central America, Caribbean
*''
Mecynometa
''Leucauge'' () is a spider genus of long-jawed orb weavers, with over 160 species and fully pantropical distribution.
The genus was first documented in Scottish zoologist Adam White's 1841 ''Description of new or little known Arachnida''. Cha ...
''
Simon, 1894 — Africa, Guatemala, Brazil
*''
Mesida''
Kulczyński, 1911 — Oceania, Asia, Africa
*''
Meta''
C. L. Koch, 1836 — Asia, North America, Tanzania, Oceania, Cuba
*''
Metabus''
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899 — Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic
*''
Metellina''
Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — Africa, Asia, Canada
*''
Metleucauge''
Levi, 1980 — Asia, United States
*''
Mitoscelis''
Thorell, 1890 — Indonesia
*''
Mollemeta''
Álvarez-Padilla, 2007 — Chile
*''
Nanningia''
Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997
*''
Nanometa''
Simon, 1908 — Australia
*''
Neoprolochus''
Reimoser, 1927 — Indonesia
*''
Okileucauge''
Tanikawa, 2001 — China, Japan
*''
Opadometa''
Archer, 1951 — Asia, Papua New Guinea
*''
Opas''
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 — South America, Mexico, Panama
*''
Orsinome''
Thorell, 1890 — Asia, Oceania, Madagascar
*''
Pachygnatha''
Sundevall, 1823 — Africa, Asia, North America, Cuba, Europe
*''
Parameta''
Simon, 1895 — Ethiopia, Somalia, Sierra Leone
*''
Parazilia''
Lessert, 1938 — Congo
*''
Pholcipes''
Schmidt & Krause, 1993 — Comoros
*''
Pickardinella''
Archer, 1951 — Mexico
*''
Pinkfloydia''
Dimitrov & Hormiga, 2011 — Australia
*''
Sancus
In ancient Roman religion, Sancus (also known as Sangus or Semo Sancus) was a god of trust (), honesty, and oaths. His cult, one of the most ancient amongst the Romans, probably derived from Umbrian influences. Cato and Silius Italicus wrote tha ...
''
Tullgren, 1910 — Kenya, Tanzania
*''
Schenkeliella''
Strand, 1934 — Sri Lanka
*''
Taraire''
Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — New Zealand
*''
Tawhai''
Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — New Zealand
*''
Tetragnatha''
Latreille, 1804 — Asia, South America, Oceania, Africa, North America, Caribbean, Central America, Europe
*''
Timonoe''
Thorell, 1898 — Myanmar
*''
Tylorida''
Simon, 1894 — Asia, Africa, Oceania
*''
Wolongia''
Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 — China
*''
Zhinu''
Kallal & Hormiga, 2018 — Taiwan, Korea, Japan
*''
Zygiometella''
Wunderlich, 1995 — Israel
Fossil genera
Several extinct, fossil genera have been described:
[Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2018. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives. In World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, version 19.0, accessed on 7 October 2018.]
* †''
Anameta''
Wunderlich, 2004 (
Palaeogene
The Paleogene ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene; informally Lower Tertiary or Early Tertiary) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning o ...
,
Bitterfield and
Baltic amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than ...
)
* †''
Balticgnatha''
Wunderlich, 2004 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
* †''
Corneometa''
Wunderlich, 2004 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
* †''
Eometa''
Petrunkevitch, 1958 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
* †''
Huergnina''
Selden & Penney, 2003 (
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
,
Las Hoyas, Spain)
* †''
Macryphantes''
Selden, 1990 (Cretaceous)
* †''
Palaeometa''
Petrunkevitch, 1922 (Palaeogene,
Florissant)
* †''
Palaeopachygnatha''
Petrunkevitch, 1922 (Palaeogene, Florissant)
* †''
Priscometa''
Petrunkevitch, 1958 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
* †''
Samlandicmeta''
Wunderlich, 2012 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
Formerly placed here
* ''
Deliochus''
Simon, 1894 – now in
Araneidae
* ''Eryciniolia''
Strand, 1912 – now a synonym of ''
Nanometa''
* ''Menosira''
Chikuni, 1955 – now a synonym of ''
Metellina''
* ''Nediphya''
Marusik & Omelko, 2017 – now a synonym of ''
Nanometa''
* ''
Phonognatha''
Simon, 1894 – now in Araneidae
* ''Prolochus''
Thorell, 1895 – see ''
Dolichognatha
''Dolichognatha'' is a genus of tropical and subtropical long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1869. Originally placed with the Archaeidae, it was transferred to the Araneidae in 1967, and to the Tetr ...
''
See also
A few spiders in this family include:
*
List of Tetragnathidae species
This page lists all described genera and species of the spider family Tetragnathidae. , the World Spider Catalog accepts 989 species in 50 genera:
A ''Alcimosphenus''
'' Alcimosphenus'' Simon, 1895
* '' Alcimosphenus licinus'' Simon, 1895 ( typ ...
*''
Leucauge mariana
''Leucauge mariana'' is a long-jawed orb weaver spider, native to Central America and South America. Its web building and sexual behavior have been studied extensively. Males perform several kinds of courtship behavior to induce females to copula ...
''
*''
Leucauge argyra
''Leucauge argyra'' is a spider and is known for being the host of the ''Hymenoepimecis argyraphaga'', a Costa Rican or Puerto Rican parasitoid wasp.Eberhard, W. (2001) Under the influence: Webs and building behavior of ''Plesiometa argyra'' ...
''
*''
Leucauge venusta
''Leucauge venusta'', known as the orchard spider, is a long-jawed orbweaver spider that occurs from southern Canada to Colombia, along the East coast, reaching into the central US, also in South Asia.The web is often oriented horizontally, with ...
''
References
* Chickering, A.M. (1963). The Male of ''Mecynometa globosa'' (O. P.-Cambridge) (Araneae, Argiopidae). ''
Psyche
Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή).
Psyche may also refer to:
Psychology
* Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious
* ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...
'' 70:180–183
PDF
External links
Tree of Life TetragnathidaeLarge format diagnostic photographs and information
Pictures of ''Tetragnatha sp.''(free for noncommercial use)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q12017
*
Articles containing video clips