Sponsors
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).
In synonymy:
Trichocharis Simon, 1895 = Caerostris Thorell, 1868 (Grasshoff, 1984: 727)
Transferred to other genera:
Caerostris basilissa (Thorell, 1899) -- see Megaraneus
Caerostris bhabanii Tikader, 1970 -- see Poltys
In synonymy:
Caerostris albescens Pocock, 1900 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 746, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris albescens flavicomis Simon, 1903 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 747, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris albiceps O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 746, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris albopubescens Strand, 1906 = Caerostris mitralis (Vinson, 1863) (Grasshoff, 1984: 743)
Caerostris amanica Strand, 1907 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 747, 762, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris argostictus Pocock, 1900 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Pocock, 1902b: 328, sub Caerostris femoralis)
Caerostris avernalis Butler, 1879 = Caerostris mitralis (Vinson, 1863) (Grasshoff, 1984: 743)
Caerostris bimaculata Strand, 1907 = Caerostris corticosa Pocock, 1902 (Grasshoff, 1984: 751)
Caerostris columnifer Pocock, 1902 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 747, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris darlingi Pocock, 1902 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 747, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris excellens Butler, 1882 = Caerostris cowani Butler, 1882 (Grasshoff, 1984: 755)
Caerostris femoralis Thorell, 1899 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris hnatiukae Roberts, 1983 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 737)
Caerostris imperialis (Walckenaer, 1841) = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Bonnet, 1956: 922)
Caerostris insularis Strand, 1913 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris keyserlingi Thorell, 1868 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris kibonotensis Tullgren, 1910 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris mimica Strand, 1906 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris mitralis humilis Thorell, 1868 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris mitralis turrigera Thorell, 1868 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris nodulosa Pocock, 1898 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Strand, 1907n: 641, sub Caerostris simata)
Caerostris paradoxa (Doleschall, 1859) = Caerostris sumatrana Strand, 1915 (Grasshoff, 1984: 758)
Caerostris petersi Karsch, 1878 = Caerostris mitralis (Vinson, 1863) (Grasshoff, 1984: 743)
Caerostris retorta Butler, 1882 = Caerostris mitralis (Vinson, 1863) (Grasshoff, 1984: 743)
Caerostris rugosa Karsch, 1878 = Caerostris mitralis (Vinson, 1863) (Grasshoff, 1984: 743)
Caerostris schubotzi Strand, 1913 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris simata Bösenberg & Lenz, 1895 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 746, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris stygiana Butler, 1880 = Caerostris mitralis (Vinson, 1863) (Grasshoff, 1984: 743)
Caerostris subsimata Strand, 1906 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 747, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris tuberculosa (Vinson, 1863) = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Caerostris turriger Pocock, 1900 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Grasshoff, 1984: 746, sub C. vinsoni)
Caerostris vinsoni Thorell, 1868 = Caerostris vicina (Blackwall, 1866) (Levi, 1996b: 93)
Caerostris voeltzkowi Strand, 1916 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 737)
Caerostris wahlbergi Thorell, 1868 = Caerostris sexcuspidata (Fabricius, 1793) (Grasshoff, 1984: 736)
Nomina dubia:
Caerostris junior Strand, 1913a: 382 (j, Uganda) -- Grasshoff, 1984: 763
Caerostris rutenbergi Karsch, 1881h: 191, pl. 12, f. A (j, Madagascar) -- Grasshoff, 1984: 763
Caerostris subamanica Caporiacco, 1940c: 829, f. 33 (j, Ethiopia) -- Grasshoff, 1984: 763
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