Araneus
Araneus is a genus of common orb-weaving spiders with more than 500 species, among which are the European garden spider and the barn spider. The genus was erected by Carl Alexander Clerck in 1757.
Description
Spiders of this genus present perhaps the most obvious case of sexual dimorphism among all of the orb-weaver family, with males being normally to the size of females. In A. diadematus, for example, last-molt females can reach the body size up to 1 in, while most males seldom grow over 0.3 in, both excluding leg span. Males are differentiated from females by a much smaller and more elongated abdomen, longer legs, and the inability to catch or consume prey bigger than themselves.In females, the epigyne has a long scape. Male pedipalps have a hook-like terminal apophysis. Abdominal tubercles are present anterolaterally.
Taxonomic history
Araneus was, for much of its history, called Epeira. The latter name is now considered a junior synonym of Araneus, as the latter was published almost 50 years earlier.Epeira was first coined by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1805, for a range of spiders now considered Araneidae. Over time, a rather diverse set of spiders was grouped under this genus name, including species from the modern families Araneidae, Mimetidae, Tetragnathidae, Theridiidae, Theridiosomatidae, Titanoecidae and Uloboridae. Epeira cylindrica O. P.-Cambridge, 1889 was at a time placed in the Linyphiidae and is considered incertae sedis, as is "Araneus" cylindriformis.
Epeira was synonymized with the genus Aranea by William Elford Leach in 1815, and with Araneus by Eugène Simon in 1904, though this synonymy was not universally recognized.
Throughout the 19th century, Epeira was used as a catch-all genus, similar to the once ubiquitous salticid genus Attus. However, from 1911, to its last mention in 1957, only very few authors continued to use the genus in their publications, notably Franganillo, Hingston, Kaston, and Marples. Chamberlin and Ivie published a new species, Epeira miniata, in 1944, which was rejected.
Jean-Henri Fabre refers to Argiope spiders as Epeira in his 1928 book The Life of the Spider, within the family "Epeirae". James Henry Emerton also uses the genus Epeira in his 1902 book The Common Spiders of the United States, but refers to spiders mostly now considered Araneus. The popular 1893 book American Spiders and their Spinningwork by Henry Christopher McCook also uses Epeira extensively.
In popular culture
The short documentary Epeira diadema by Italian director Alberto Ancilotto was nominated for an Oscar in 1953. It is about the spider today known as Araneus diadematus.Venom
Araneus spider venoms vary in toxicity, but often deliver a dry bite. Females bite more often than males, which would rather flee or feign death.Species
, the genus Araneus Clerck, 1757 includes 535 species and 15 subspecies.This is a list of species in this genus that have articles on Wikipedia as of 2025:Araneus albotriangulus – Australia Araneus alboventris – Canada, United StatesAraneus alsine – Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia, Kazakhstan, JapanAraneus andrewsi – United StatesAraneus angulatus Clerck, 1757 – Europe, North Africa, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Central Asia, Korea Araneus apricus – São Tomé, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Eswatini, Seychelles, Yemen Araneus arizonensis – United States, MexicoAraneus asiaticus Bakhvalov, 1983 – KyrgyzstanAraneus bicentenarius – Canada, United StatesAraneus bispinosus – United StatesAraneus bivittatus – United StatesAraneus bonsallae – United StatesAraneus calusa Levi, 1973 – United StatesAraneus cavaticus – Canada, United StatesAraneus cingulatus – United StatesAraneus circe – Southern Europe, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Caucasus, IranAraneus circulissparsus – Australia Araneus coccinella Pocock, 1898 – South AfricaAraneus corticarius – Russia, Alaska, Canada, United StatesAraneus detrimentosus – United States, ColombiaAraneus diadematus Clerck, 1757 – Europe, Middle East, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia, Iran, Central Asia, China, Japan. Introduced to North AmericaAraneus falcatus Guo, Zhang & Zhu, 2011 – ChinaAraneus gadus Levi, 1973 – United StatesAraneus gemma – Alaska, Canada, United StatesAraneus gemmoides Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 – Canada, United StatesAraneus graemii Pocock, 1900 – South AfricaAraneus granadensis – Venezuela, PeruAraneus groenlandicola – Canada, United States, GreenlandAraneus grossus – Europe, Central AsiaAraneus guttulatus – Canada, United StatesAraneus illaudatus – United States, MexicoAraneus iviei – Alaska, Canada, United StatesAraneus juniperi – Canada, United StatesAraneus mammatus – United StatesAraneus marmoreus Clerck, 1757 – North America, Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia, Iran, Central Asia, India, China, Korea, JapanAraneus miniatus – United StatesAraneus montereyensis – North AmericaAraneus nigroquadratus Lawrence, 1937 – Namibia, South AfricaAraneus niveus – United StatesAraneus nordmanni – North America, Europe, Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Korea, JapanAraneus obtusatus – Sri LankaAraneus pallidus – Portugal, Spain, France, AlgeriaAraneus partitus – United StatesAraneus pegnia – United States, Ecuador and JamaicaAraneus pratensis – Canada, United StatesAraneus quadratus Clerck, 1757 – Europe, Turkey, Russia, Iran, Central Asia, China, Japan. Introduced to St. HelenaAraneus saevus – North America, Europe, Russia Araneus sagicola – JapanAraneus strupifer – Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South AfricaAraneus svanetiensis Mcheidze, 1997 – Georgia (country)Araneus talipedatus – AustraliaAraneus tatianae Lessert, 1938 – Congo, South AfricaAraneus thaddeus – North AmericaAraneus trifolium – Alaska, Canada, United StatesAraneus varus – South AfricaAraneus ventricosus – Russia, Korea, Japan, China, TaiwanAraneus yukon Levi, 1971 – Russia, Canada