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).

In synonymy:

Eunesiotes Rainbow, 1899 = Poecilopachys Simon, 1895 (Simon, 1903a: 1003)

Gen. Poecilopachys Simon, 1895 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01545
type Epeira australasia Griffith & Pidgeon, 1833; gender feminine
N.B.: considered a senior synonym of Eunesiotes Rainbow, 1899b: 309 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:06319] (type E. jenningsi Rainbow, 1899) by Simon, 1903a: 1003.

Transferred to other genera:

Poecilopachys bufo Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 -- see Cyrtarachne

In synonymy:

Poecilopachys bispinosa (Keyserling, 1865) = Poecilopachys australasia (Griffith & Pidgeon, 1833) (Goodwin, 1961: 74)

Poecilopachys setosa (Keyserling, 1886, T from Cyrtarachne) = Poecilopachys australasia (Griffith & Pidgeon, 1833) (Goodwin, 1961: 74)

Poecilopachys australasia (Griffith & Pidgeon, 1833) | | Australia (Queensland, New South Wales). Introduced to New Zealand, Samoa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016935 TYPE SPECIES
Epeira australasia Griffith & Pidgeon in Griffith, 1833: 538, pl. 3, f. 1 (Df) Original description
Epeira australasia Walckenaer, 1841: 503
Cyrtogaster bispinosa Keyserling, 1865: 802, pl. 19, f. 10-11 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:058003]
Cyrtarachne bispinosa L. Koch, 1871: 16
Cyrtarachne setosa Keyserling, 1886a: 98, pl. 7, f. 5 (Dj) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:058004]
Poecilopachys bispinosa Simon, 1895a: 880, f. 942 (f)
Epeira australasia Roewer, 1955c: 1478 (nicht zu deuten = nomen dubium)
Poecilopachys australasia Goodwin, 1961: 74, f. 1a-b, 2a-c (Dm, f, T from Araneus, removed from nomen dubium, S of Cyrtarachne setosa and Poecilopachys bispinosa)
Poecilopachys australasia Davies, 1988b: 320, f. 39 (mf)
Poecilopachys jenningsi (Rainbow, 1899) | | Vanuatu urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016936
Eunesiotes jenningsi Rainbow, 1899b: 310, pl. 24, f. 3 (Df) Original description
Poecilopachys jenningsi Simon, 1903a: 1003
Poecilopachys minutissima Chrysanthus, 1971 | | Papua New Guinea (New Ireland) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016937
Poecilopachys minutissima Chrysanthus, 1971: 36, f. 69-70 (Dm) Original description
Poecilopachys speciosa (L. Koch, 1872) | | Australia (Queensland) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016938
Cyrtarachne speciosa L. Koch, 1872a: 202, pl. 18, f. 3 (Df) Original description
Poecilopachys speciosa Simon, 1895a: 880
Poecilopachys verrucosa (L. Koch, 1871) | | New Guinea (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea), Australia (Queensland), Samoa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016939
Cyrtarachne verrucosa L. Koch, 1871: 16, pl. 2, f. 1 (Df) Original description
Poecilopachys verrucosa Chrysanthus, 1961b: 209, f. 63-67 (f)

Sponsors