Araneidae Clerck, 1757

Family |   ACCEPTED

N.B.: family name and authorship as per ICZN, 2009 Opinion 2224, after application by Kluge, 2007; Arkyinae L. Koch, 1872 (genera Arkys Walckenaer, 1837 and Demadiana Strand, 1929) elevated to Arkyidae by Dimitrov et al., 2017: 244; monophyly of Araneidae stated by Kallal et al., 2018: 138; Nephilinae Simon, 1894 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spiderfam:0111] elevated to family and relimited by Kuntner, 2006: 24, re-synonymized with Araneidae by Dimitrov et al., 2017: 244; Nephilinae and Phonognathinae Simon, 1894 (Simon, 1894a: 746 as Phonognatheae), the valid name for Zygiellinae Simon, 1929 sensu Wunderlich, 2004f, elevated to family by Kuntner et al., 2019: 563, not accepted by Scharff et al., 2020 and Kallal et al., 2020, and confirmed as family by Kuntner et al., 2023: 969-970 along with the separation of Paraplectanoididae Kuntner, Coddington, Agnarsson & Bond, 2023; Nephilinae and Phonognathinae downgraded to subfamily and Paraplectanoididae considered a synonym of Araneidae by Hormiga et al., 2023: 803; family status of Paraplectanoididae, Nephilidae and Phonognathidae revalidated by Kuntner et al., 2025: 17, 23, but not accepted here for reasons of stability; Oarcinae (Gnolus and Oarces) transferred from the Mimetidae to the Araneidae by Dimitrov et al., 2012: Suppl. 1, p. 15, re-transfer to the Mimetidae by Eskov & Marusik, 2023: 340 not accepted here (by majority vote of the WSC boards); Eskov & Marusik, 2023: 241 and Eskov & Marusik, 2024: 52 consider Zygiellidae as the valid name instead of Phonognathidae and accept the family status of Nephilidae; the status of the Nephilinae and Phonognathinae (= Zygiellidae) as subfamilies is accepted by majority vote of the WSC boards; Eskov & Marusik, 2024: 52 list ten subfamilies and tribes as valid (besides Nephilidae and Zygiellidae): Araneinae, Argiopinae Simon, 1890a: 81 (sub Argiopidae), Cyrtarachninae Simon, 1895a: 876 (sub Cyrtarachneae), Сyrtophorinae Simon, 1895a: 876 (sub Cyrtophoreae), Gasteracanthinae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871e: 217 (sub Gasteracanthides), Micratheninae Simon, 1895a: 848 (sub Micratheneae), Guizygiellinae Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 42, Caerostrini Simon, 1895a: 831 (sub Cerostreae), Hypognathini Simon, 1895a: 871 (sub Hypognatheae) and Poltyini Simon, 1895a: 888 (sub Poltyeae).

Gen. Guizygiella Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01377
type Guizygiella quadrata Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997; gender feminine
N.B.: described in the Tetragnathidae, placed in the Zygiellidae Simon, 1929 by Wunderlich, 2004f: 927 (which currently belong to the Araneidae as the subfamily Phonognathinae Simon, 1894), transferred to the Araneidae by Kallal & Hormiga, 2022: 147.

In synonymy:

Guizygiella baojingensis (Yin, 2002, T from Zygiella) = Guizygiella salta (Yin & Gong, 1996) (Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 50)

Guizygiella quadrata Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 = Guizygiella salta (Yin & Gong, 1996) (Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 50)

Guizygiella guangxiensis (Zhu & Zhang, 1993) | | China, Thailand, Laos urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017171
Zygiella calyptrata Yin et al., 1990: 138, f. 341-343 (f; misidentified per Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 45)
Zygiella guangxiensis Zhu & Zhang, 1993: 39, f. 21-27 (Dmf) Original description
Zygiella guangxiensis Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 229, f. 129Q-S (mf)
Guizygiella guangxiensis Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 45, f. 17A-H (mf, T from Zygiella)
Guizygiella guangxiensis Jäger, 2007: 35, f. 8-9 (f)
Guizygiella guangxiensis Kallal & Hormiga, 2022a: 149, f. 1A-C, 2A-E, 3A-B (mf)
Guizygiella haoyangi Yao & Liu, 2025 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065541
Guizygiella haoyangi Yao & Liu in Wang et al., 2025d: 22, f. 1A-E (Dm) Original description
Guizygiella huahai Mi, Wang & Li, 2024 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:063449
Guizygiella huahai Mi, Wang & Li, 2024: 303, f. 16A-F, 17A-D, 18A-D (Dmf) Original description
Guizygiella indica (Tikader & Bal, 1980) | | India urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017173
Zygiella indica Tikader & Bal, 1980: 245, f. 5-9 (Dmf) Original description
Zygiella indica Tikader, 1982a: 217, f. 423-427 (mf)
Zygiella indica Gajbe, 2007: 523, f. 299-302 (f)
Guizygiella indica Jäger & Praxaysombath, 2009: 33 (T from Zygiella)
Guizygiella melanocrania (Thorell, 1887) | | Pakistan, India to China, Laos urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017177
Epeira melanocrania Thorell, 1887: 209 (Df) Original description
Araneus melanocranius Simon, 1909e: 108
Araneus melanocranius Dyal, 1935: 183, pl. 16, f. 125 (f)
Zygiella melanocrania Roewer, 1942a: 886
Zygiella melanocrania Levi, 1974a: 282, f. 81-84 (f)
Zygiella melanocrania Tikader & Bal, 1980: 243, f. 1-4 (f)
Zygiella melanocrania Tikader, 1982a: 215, f. 419-422 (f)
Guizygiella melanocrania Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 46, f. 18A-G (Dm, f, T from Zygiella)
Guizygiella nadleri (Heimer, 1984) | | China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017180
Zygiella nadleri Heimer, 1984c: 95, f. 1-6 (Dmf) Original description
Zygiella x-notata Feng, 1990: 102, f. 77.1-2 (f; misidentified per Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 48)
Zygiella melanocrania Yin et al., 1990: 138, f. 344-346 (f; misidentified per Zhu & Zhang, 1993: 40)
Zygiella nadleri Zhu & Zhang, 1993: 40, f. 28-31 (mf)
Zygiella nadleri Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 229, f. 130A-C (mf)
Guizygiella nadleri Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 48, f. 19A-J, pl. IA-D (mf, T from Zygiella)
Guizygiella nadleri Yin et al., 2012: 430, f. 192a-f (mf)
Guizygiella salta (Yin & Gong, 1996) | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017183 TYPE SPECIES
Zygiella salta Yin & Gong, 1996: 75, f. 17-24 (Dmf) Original description
Guizygiella quadrata Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997: 4, f. 3A-H (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:013658]
Guizygiella quadrata Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 213, f. 120L-O, 130F (mf)
Zygiella baojingensis Yin, 2002: 281, f. 1-3 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:054971]
Guizygiella salta Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003: 50, f. 20A-J, pl. IE-H (mf, T from Zygiella, S of Guizygiella quadrata and Zygiella baojingensis)
Guizygiella salta Yin et al., 2012: 431, f. 193a-g (mf)
Guizygiella salta Wang et al., 2025d: 23, f. 2A-E, 3A-D (mf)
Guizygiella shivui (Patel & Reddy, 1990) | | India urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017184
Zygiella shivui Patel & Reddy, 1990c: 159, f. 6-11 (Dmf) Original description
Guizygiella shivui Jäger & Praxaysombath, 2009: 33 (T from Zygiella)

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