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. Melychiopharis Simon, 1895 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01515
type Melychiopharis cynips Simon, 1895; gender feminine
N.B.: transferred from the Araneidae to the Theridiidae by Levi, 2002: 562 and back to the Araneidae by Santos, Brescovit & Levi, 2005: 57.
Melychiopharis bibendum Brescovit, Santos & Leite, 2011 | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:043846
Melychiopharis bibendum Brescovit, Santos & Leite, 2011: 61, f. 1-10 (Dmf) Original description
Melychiopharis cynips Simon, 1895 | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016403 TYPE SPECIES
Melychiopharis cynips Simon, 1895a: 907, f. 972-973 (Df) Original description
Melychiopharis cynips Santos, Brescovit & Levi, 2005: 59, f. 1-11 (f, Dm)
Melychiopharis davincii Dupérré & Tapia, 2024 | | Ecuador urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:063367
Melychiopharis davincii Dupérré & Tapia in Dupérré et al., 2024b: 82, f. 6A-E, 7A-B (Dm) Original description
Melychiopharis komischetier Dupérré & Tapia, 2024 | | Ecuador urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:063366
Melychiopharis komischetier Dupérré & Tapia in Dupérré et al., 2024b: 78, f. 1A-E, 2A-B, 3A-D, 4A-H, 5A-H (Dmf; only in the map spelled "komischetiere", which would be correct German) Original description
Melychiopharis peruviana Eskov & Marusik, 2024 | | Peru urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:063368
Melychiopharis peruviana Eskov & Marusik in Dupérré et al., 2024b: 84, f. 8A-E, 9A-D, 10A-D, 11A-B (Dmf) Original description

Sponsors