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. Megaraneus Lawrence, 1968 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01514
type Megaraneus campbelli Lawrence, 1968; gender masculine

In synonymy:

Megaraneus angolensis (Brito Capello, 1866) = Megaraneus gabonensis (Lucas, 1858) (Simon, 1907d: 286, sub Cyrtophora)

Megaraneus basilissa (Thorell, 1899, T from Caerostris) = Megaraneus gabonensis (Lucas, 1858) (Grasshoff, 1984: 764)

Megaraneus campbelli Lawrence, 1968 = Megaraneus gabonensis (Lucas, 1858) (Grasshoff, 1984: 764)

Megaraneus chinchoxensis (Karsch, 1879) = Megaraneus gabonensis (Lucas, 1858) (Simon, 1907d: 286, sub Cyrtophora)

Megaraneus gabonensis (Lucas, 1858) | | Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Gabon, Rep. Congo, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016402 TYPE SPECIES
Epeira gabonensis Lucas, 1858: 420, pl. 12, f. 6 (Df) Original description
Epeira angolensis Brito Capello, 1866: 79, pl. 2, f. 4 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:064250]
Epeira chinchoxensis Karsch, 1879a: 333 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:064251]
Aranea basilissa Thorell, 1899: 44 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:056895]
Cyrtophora angolensis Pocock, 1900g: 853
Cyrtophora gabonensis Simon, 1907d: 286
Cyrtophora gabonensis Simon, 1907d: 286 (S of Cyrtophora angolensis and C. chinchoxensis, both removed from S of C. citricola, rejecting Simon, 1895a: 775)
Caerostris basilissa Roewer, 1942a: 888
Megaraneus campbelli Lawrence, 1968: 110, f. 1a-e, 2a-e, g (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:056896]
Megaraneus gabonensis Grasshoff, 1984: 763 (T from Cyrtophora, S of Caerostris basilissa and Megaraneus campbelli)
Megaraneus gabonensis Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2022e: 48, p. 47: 1 f., p. 48: 6 f. (f)
Megaraneus gabonensis Čandek et al., 2025: 10, f. 1A-B, 4A-E, 5A-D, 6A-D (mf)

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