''Eriophora'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. It occurs in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...

, and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. The name is derived from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

roots, and means "wool bearing".

Species

Most species now grouped here have been classified as '' Araneus'' at some time in their description history. ''Eriophora'' contains seven species: *'' Eriophora conica'' (Yin, Wang & Zhang, 1987) – China *'' Eriophora edax'' (Blackwall, 1863) – USA to Brazil *'' Eriophora fuliginea'' (C. L. Koch, 1838) – Honduras to Brazil *'' Eriophora nephiloides'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Guatemala to Guyana *'' Eriophora neufvilleorum'' (Lessert, 1930) – Congo, Ethiopia *'' Eriophora pustulosa'' (Walckenaer, 1841) – Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand *'' Eriophora ravilla'' (C. L. Koch, 1844) – USA to Brazil

Gallery

File:Flame-bellied Spider.JPG, Flame-bellied or orange-bellied orb-weaver,

Osa Peninsula The Osa Peninsula ( es, Península de Osa) is a peninsula located in southwestern Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas Province, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Golfo Dulce to the east. The peninsula was formed geologically by a faulting sy ...

, Costa Rica File:Eriophora sp 1.jpg, Either ''Eriophora heroine'' or ''Eriophora pustulosa'' File:Eriophora sp 2.jpg, Portrait of ''Eriophora heroine'' or ''Eriophora pustulosa'' File:Eriophora ravilla, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.jpg, ''Eriophora ravilla'', Florida

References

External links

''Eriophora ravilla'', a tropical orb weaver spider
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site Araneidae Araneomorphae genera Cosmopolitan spiders Taxa named by Eugène Simon {{Araneidae-stub