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. Carepalxis L. Koch, 1872 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01452
type Carepalxis montifera L. Koch, 1872; gender feminine

Transferred to other genera:

Carepalxis bispinosa Mello-Leitão, 1945 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis camelus Simon, 1895 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis eremita Archer, 1965 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis gibbosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis lichensis Rainbow, 1916 -- see Cyclosa

Carepalxis normalis Keyserling, 1892 -- see Scoloderus

Carepalxis perpera (Petrunkevitch, 1911) -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis perplexa (Banks, 1898) -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis poweri Rainbow, 1916 -- see Cyclosa

Carepalxis quasimodo Ferreira-Sousa & Motta, 2022 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis rotunda O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis salobrensis Simon, 1895 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis topazio Ferreira-Sousa & Motta, 2022 -- see Ocrepeira

Carepalxis vianai Gerschman & Schiapelli, 1948 -- see Ocrepeira

In synonymy:

Carepalxis furcifera (Keyserling, 1886) = Carepalxis tuberculata Keyserling, 1886 (Castanheira et al., 2025: 34)

Carepalxis furcula Keyserling, 1886 = Carepalxis tuberculata Keyserling, 1886 (Simon, 1896a: 347)

Carepalxis suberosa Thorell, 1881 = Carepalxis beelzebub (van Hasselt, 1873) (Castanheira et al., 2025: 18)

Carepalxis tricuspidata Chrysanthus, 1961 = Carepalxis beelzebub (van Hasselt, 1873) (Castanheira et al., 2025: 18)

Carepalxis tuberculifera (Thorell, 1881, T from Acroaspis) = Carepalxis beelzebub (van Hasselt, 1873) (Castanheira et al., 2025: 18)

Nomen dubium:

Carepalxis coronata (Rainbow, 1896b: 629, pl. 49, f. 1, j, Australia/New South Wales, originally in Epeira) -- Framenau, 2019: 17

Carepalxis beelzebub (van Hasselt, 1873) | | New Guinea (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea), Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:015486
Epeira beelzebub van Hasselt, 1873: 240, pl. 12, f. A-C (Df) Original description
Acroaspis tuberculifera Thorell, 1881: 52 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014424]
Carepalxis suberosa Thorell, 1881: 48 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:015495]
Carepalxis beelzebub Rainbow, 1911: 197
Carepalxis tricuspidata Chrysanthus, 1961b: 205, f. 50-53 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:015496]
Carepalxis beelzebub Castanheira et al., 2025: 18, f. 3a-c, 4c-d, 9a-e, 10a-e, 11a-d, 12a-b (Dm, f, S of Acroaspis tuberculifera, Carepalxis suberosa and C. tricuspidata)
Carepalxis bilobata Keyserling, 1886 | | Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:015487
Carepalxis bilobata Keyserling, 1886a: 118, pl. 9, f. 4 (Df) Original description
Carepalxis bilobata Castanheira et al., 2025: 22, f. 4e-f, 14a-e, 15a-b, 16a-d (f)
Carepalxis ferreirasousai Castanheira, Dimitrov, Baptista, Scharff & Framenau, 2025 | | Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Capital Territory) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065615
Carepalxis ferreirasousai Castanheira et al., 2025: 24, f. 4i-j, 18a-e (Df) Original description
Carepalxis kolla Castanheira, Dimitrov, Baptista, Scharff & Framenau, 2025 | | Australia (South Australia) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065616
Carepalxis kolla Castanheira et al., 2025: 25, f. 19a-e (Df) Original description
Carepalxis megalostylus Castanheira, Dimitrov, Baptista, Scharff & Framenau, 2025 | | Australia (South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065617
Carepalxis megalostylus Castanheira et al., 2025: 27, f. 4g-h, 21a-e, 22a-e (Df) Original description
Carepalxis montifera L. Koch, 1872 | | Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:015491 TYPE SPECIES
Carepalxis montifera L. Koch, 1872a: 123, pl. 10, f. 1 (Df) Original description
Carepalxis montifera Castanheira et al., 2025: 15, f. 4a-b, 5a-f, 6a-e, 7a-e, 32c (f)
Carepalxis tholos Castanheira, Dimitrov, Baptista, Scharff & Framenau, 2025 | | Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Capital Territory) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065618
Carepalxis tholos Castanheira et al., 2025: 29, f. 3d-f, 4m-n, 24a-e, 25a-d, 26a-f, 27a-b (Dmf) Original description
Carepalxis tuberculata Keyserling, 1886 | | Australia (Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Capital Territory, Tasmania) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:015497
Carepalxis tuberculata Keyserling, 1886a: 119, pl. 9, f. 5 (Df) Original description
Carepalxis furcula Keyserling, 1886a: 121, pl. 9, f. 6 (Dj) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:064220]
Epeira furcifera Keyserling, 1886a: 144, pl. 12, f. 1 (Dm) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017100]
Carepalxis tuberculata Simon, 1896a: 347 (Dm, S of Carepalxis furcula)
Verrucosa furcifera Archer, 1951a: 20 (T from Araneus)
Carepalxis tuberculata Davies, 1988b: 300, f. 22 (f)
Verrucosa furcifera Lise, Kesster & Silva, 2015: 102 (misplaced in this genus)
Carepalxis furcifera Framenau, 2019: 6 (T from Verrucosa)
Carepalxis tuberculata Castanheira et al., 2025: 34, f. 3g-i, 4k-l, 29a-e, 30a-e, 31a-d, 32a-b, d-e (mf, S of Carepalxis furcifera)

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