Achaearanea

Achaearanea is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Embrik Strand in 1929.
It used to include the extremely abundant common house spider, which was transferred to genus Parasteatoda in 2006, together with many other species. A. veruculata and many more species were moved to genus Cryptachaea in 2008. Others were moved to the revived Henziectypus. The genus was thus reduced from about 150 species to about thirty species during major revisions. Possibly even more species should be transferred to other genera.

Distribution

Species are found around the world, with several species from South America, China and Korea, India, Australia and Africa. Some species are endemic to several small islands.

Life style

Members of Achaearanea build an irregular network of threads, usually in a sheltered place. These spiders construct untidy tangled cob-webs amongst trees and along walls. Their webs sometimes contain a leaf or other debris used as shelter.
The male and female may occupy the same web for some time before mating occurs. After mating, the female constructs up to eight pear-shaped papery brown egg-sacs. They feed on various insects, including ants and other spiders.

Description

This genus includes small and large theridiids. The legs are medium long, with spines and usually many hairs. Their web is an irregular network of threads, usually in a sheltered place.

Species

, this genus includes 27 species:

Achaearanea alboinsignita Locket, 1980 – Comoros
Achaearanea baltoformis Yin & Peng, 2012 – China
Achaearanea biarclata Yin & Bao, 2012 – China
Achaearanea budana Tikader, 1970 – India
Achaearanea coilioducta Yin, 2012 – China
Achaearanea diglipuriensis Tikader, 1977 – India
Achaearanea disparata Denis, 1965 – Gabon, Ivory Coast
Achaearanea diversipes – Australia
Achaearanea dubitabilis Wunderlich, 1987 – Canary Islands
Achaearanea durgae Tikader, 1970 – India
Achaearanea epicosma – Australia
Achaearanea extumida Xing, Gao & Zhu, 1994 – China
Achaearanea flavomaculata Yin, 2012 – China
Achaearanea globispira Henschel & Jocqué, 1994 – South Africa
Achaearanea hieroglyphica – Peru, Brazil, French Guiana
Achaearanea inopinata Brignoli, 1972 – Venezuela
Achaearanea linhan Yin & Bao, 2012 – China
Achaearanea machaera Levi, 1959 – Panama
Achaearanea maricaoensis – Panama, Puerto Rico
Achaearanea micratula – Costa Rica
Achaearanea nigrodecorata – Australia
Achaearanea propera – Australia
Achaearanea septemguttata – Vietnam
Achaearanea simaoica Zhu, 1998 – China
Achaearanea tingo Levi, 1963 – Peru, Brazil
Achaearanea trapezoidalis – Panama to Paraguay
Achaearanea triangularis Patel, 2005 – India
A. acoreensis
A. alacris
A. altiventer
A. ambera Levi, 1963
A. analista Levi, 1963
A. anastema Levi, 1963
A. angulithorax
A. anna Levi, 1959
A. apex Levi, 1959
A. asiatica
A. azteca
A. banosensis Levi, 1963
A. barra Levi, 1963
A. bellula
A. bentifica
A. blattea
A. boqueronica
A. brookesiana Barrion & Litsinger, 1995
A. caboverdensis Schmidt & Piepho, 1994
A. caliensis Levi, 1963
A. cambridgei
A. campanulata Chen, 1993
A. camura
A. canionis
A. caqueza Levi, 1963
A. catapetraea
A. celsabdomina Zhu, 1998
A. chilensis Levi, 1963
A. chiricahua Levi, 1955
A. cingulata Zhu, 1998
A. cinnabarina Levi, 1963
A. conigera
A. conjuncta
A. credula
A. culicivora
A. dalana Buckup & Marques, 1991
A. daliensis Zhu, 1998
A. dea Buckup & Marques, 2006
A. decorata
A. diamantina Levi, 1963
A. digitus Buckup & Marques, 2006
A. dromedaria
A. dromedariformis
A. ducta Zhu, 1998
A. eramus Levi, 1963
A. extrilida
A. ferrumequina
A. florendida Levi, 1959
A. fordum
A. fresno Levi, 1955
A. galeiforma Zhu, Zhang & Xu, 1991
A. geochares Levi, 1955
A. gibberosa
A. gigantea
A. globosa
A. guadalupensis
A. gui Zhu, 1998
A. hammeni Chrysanthus, 1963
A. herbigrada
A. hermosillo Levi, 1959
A. hirta
A. ignota
A. index
A. inops Levi, 1963
A. insulsa
A. isana Levi, 1963
A. japonica
A. jequirituba Levi, 1963
A. jinghongensis Zhu, 1998
A. kaindi Levi, Lubin & Robinson, 1982
A. kaspi Levi, 1963
A. koepckei Levi, 1963
A. kompirensis
A. krausi Chrysanthus, 1963
A. labarda Roberts, 1983
A. lanyuensis Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 2000
A. leguiai
A. liaoyuanensis Zhu & Yu, 1982
A. longiducta Zhu, 1998
A. lota Levi, 1963
A. luculenta
A. lunata
A. lunata
A. lunata
A. manzanillo Levi, 1959
A. maraca Buckup & Marques, 1991
A. maronica
A. maxima
A. mea
A. meraukensis Chrysanthus, 1963
A. mesax Levi, 1959
A. migrans
A. milagro Levi, 1963
A. mundula
A. nayaritensis Levi, 1959
A. nigrovittata
A. nipponica Yoshida, 1983
A. nordica
A. obnubila
A. oculiprominens
A. ohlerti
A. orana Levi, 1963
A. orgea Levi, 1967
A. oxymaculata Zhu, 1998
A. pallida
A. pallipera Levi, 1963
A. pallipes
A. parana Levi, 1963
A. passiva
A. picadoi
A. pilaton Levi, 1963
A. pinguis
A. polygramma
A. porteri
A. portoricensis
A. projectivulva Yoshida, 2001
A. pusillana
A. pydanieli Buckup & Marques, 1991
A. quadrimaculata Yoshida, Tso & Severinghaus, 2000
A. quadripartita
A. rafaeli Buckup & Marques, 1991
A. rapa Levi, 1963
A. redempta
A. rioensis Levi, 1963
A. riparia
A. rostra Zhu & Zhang, 1992
A. rupicola
A. ryukyu Yoshida, 2000
A. salvadorensis
A. saxatilis
A. schneirlai Levi, 1959
A. schraderorum Levi, 1959
A. schullei
A. serax Levi, 1959
A. serenoae
A. serica
A. sicki Levi, 1963
A. simulans
A. simulata
A. songi Zhu, 1998
A. subtabulata Zhu, 1998
A. subvexa Zhu, 1998
A. tabulata Levi, 1980
A. taeniata
A. taim Buckup & Marques, 2006
A. teja Levi, 1967
A. tepidariorum
A. terex Levi, 1959
A. tesselata
A. tovarensis Levi, 1963
A. transipora
A. triangula Yoshida, 1993
A. triguttata
A. trinidensis Levi, 1959
A. turquino Levi, 1959
A. umbratica
A. undata
A. ungilensis Kim & Kim, 1996
A. uviana Levi, 1963
A. valoka Chrysanthus, 1975
A. veruculata
A. vervoorti Chrysanthus, 1975
A. vivida
A. wau Levi, Lubin & Robinson, 1982
A. xinjiangensis Hu & Wu, 1989
A. zonensis Levi, 1959

In synonymy:

A. pentagona = Achaearanea hieroglyphica

Nomen dubium

''A. quadripunctata''