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. Actinosoma Holmberg, 1883 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01423
type Plectana pentacantha Walckenaer, 1841; gender neuter

Transferred to other genera:

Actinosoma heteracanthum Mello-Leitão, 1943 -- see Paraverrucosa

Actinosoma riscoi Archer, 1971 -- see Rubrepeira

Actinosoma pentacanthum (Walckenaer, 1841) | | Colombia to Argentina urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014429 TYPE SPECIES
Plectana pentacantha Walckenaer, 1841: 170 (Df) Original description
Acrosoma stelligerum Thorell, 1859: 301 (Df)
Acrosoma pentacanthum Butler, 1873b: 428
Acrosoma pulcherrima Holmberg, 1876: 21 (Df)
Actinosoma pentacanthum Holmberg, 1883b: 237
Cyrtarachne quinquespinosa Keyserling, 1892: 55, pl. 3, f. 44 (Dmf)
Araneus pentacanthus Simon, 1895a: 819, f. 869
Actinosoma pentacanthum Levi, 1995b: 158, f. 1-12 (mf)
Actinosoma pentacanthum Levi, 2002: 538, f. 63-65, 255-256 (mf)
Actinosoma pentacanthum Cabra-García & Hormiga, 2020: 1016, f. 20C-D, 21B, 23B, 26C, 30D, 40C-D, 43A-B, 49D, 52E, 56D, 58G, 60J, 63A, 65B, 80A-F, 114A-G (mf)

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