Description
Family Araneidae
Orb weavers comprise a huge family of spiders, of which there are several hundred species in North America. These spiders vary greatly in color, shape and size, measuring between 2 - 30mm (1/16 -- 1 1/4") long. They have eight eyes arranged in two horizontal rows of four eyes each. The males are generally much smaller than the females and commonly lack the showy coloring of their fairer sex. They often spin their own smaller orb web near an outlying portion of the female's, and I've noticed most males give the females wide berth. Indeed, I rarely see male orb weavers, they are so reclusive. [1]
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,262 meters (0 to 7,421 feet).[2]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Arachnomorpha
()
- Heider, 1913
- Infraphylum:
Cheliceriformes
()
- Superclass:
Chelicerata
()
- Epiclass:
Euchelicerata
()
- Class:
Arachnida
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Arachnids
- Subclass:
Micrura
()
- Order:
Araneae
()
- Clerck, 1757
- Spiders
- Suborder:
Opisthothelae
()
- Infraorder:
Araneomorphae
()
- Superfamily:
Araneoidea
()
- Superfamily:
Araneoidea
(
- Infraorder:
Araneomorphae
(
- Suborder:
Opisthothelae
(
- Order:
Araneae
(
- Subclass:
Micrura
(
- Class:
Arachnida
(
- Epiclass:
Euchelicerata
(
- Superclass:
Chelicerata
(
- Infraphylum:
Cheliceriformes
(
- Subphylum:
Arachnomorpha
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Platnick N.I., 15-Jul-2004.
Similar Species
Members of the genus Eustala
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 100 species and subspecies in this genus:
E. abdita · E. albicans · E. albiventer · E. anastera · E. anastera leuca · E. anastera vermiformis · E. andina · E. arkansana · E. bacelarae · E. banksi · E. bifida · E. bisetosa · E. brevispina · E. bucolica · E. californiensis · E. cameronensis · E. cazieri · E. cepina · E. clavispina · E. conchlea · E. conformans · E. cucurbitoria · E. decemtuberculata · E. delasmata · E. delecta · E. devia · E. eleuthera · E. emertoni · E. essequibensis · E. exigua · E. fragilis · E. fusco-vittata · E. fuscovittata · E. gertschi · E. gonygaster · E. guianensis · E. guttata · E. hirsuta · E. histrio · E. illicita · E. inconstans · E. ingenua · E. innoxia · E. isosceles · E. itapocuensis · E. lactea · E. lata · E. latebricola · E. longembola · E. lunulifera · E. maxima · E. mexicana · E. mimica · E. minima · E. minuscula · E. montana · E. monticola · E. montivaga · E. mourei · E. nasuta · E. nigerrima · E. novemmamillata · E. oblonga · E. orina · E. pallida · E. panamana · E. perdita · E. perfida · E. photographica · E. procurva · E. redundans · E. richardsi · E. rosae · E. rubroguttulata · E. rustica · E. saga · E. sagana · E. sanguinosa · E. scitula · E. scutigera · E. secta · E. sedula · E. semifoliata · E. smaragdinea · E. tantula · E. taquara · E. tribrachiata · E. tridentata · E. triflex · E. trinitatis · E. tristis · E. tumida · E. ulecebrosa · E. uncicurva · E. unimaculata · E. vegeta · E. vellardi · E. venusta · E. viridipedata · E. wiedenmeyeri
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, ENG url p. 112, p. 114, p. 115, p. 118, p. 122, p. 124, p. 127, p. 338, p. 339, p. 346, p. 369, p. 372, p. 511, p. 66, p. 68, p. 69, p. 71, p. 72, p. 73, p. 97, p. 99.
- Catalog of hymenoptera in America north of Mexico / prepared cooperatively by specialists on the various groups of Hymenoptera under the direction of Karl V. Krombein [et al.]. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979- ENG url p. 1533, p. 1548, p. 1549, p. 1550, p. 1578, p. 1643, p. 1646, p. 1648, p. 1650, p. 2623.
- Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- ENG url p. 10.
- Miscellaneous publication - University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History. Lawrence, University of Kansas, 1946-1996. ENG url p. 57, p. 69.
- The spider book; a manual for the study of the spiders and their near relatives, the scorpions, pseudoscorpions, whip-scorpions, harvestmen, and other members of the class Arachnida, found in America north of Mexico, by John Henry Comstock Garden City, Doubleday, Page & Company, 1912. ENG url p. 510, p. 511.
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed January 09, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 5 providers.
- SpidCat
- The World Spider Catalog, 5.0, 2004.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal January 09, 2008:
- Canadian Arachnologist Nearctic Spider Database, Canadian Arachnologist Nearctic Spider Database
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3548904
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Ara-015911
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2205365
Footnotes
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Basilica&search=Search [back]
- Mean = 300.740 meters (986.680 feet), Standard Deviation = 389.240 based on 110 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
