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:

Lobetina Simon, 1895 = Prasonica Simon, 1895 (Grasshoff, 1971b: 295)

Gen. Prasonica Simon, 1895 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01548
type Prasonica albolimbata Simon, 1895; gender feminine
N.B.: considered a senior synonym of Lobetina Simon, 1897b: 477 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:04958] (type L. opaciceps Simon, 1897) by Grasshoff, 1971b: 295; considered a probable junior synonym of Mangora O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 by Levi, 1975b: 116.

In synonymy:

Prasonica africana (Simon, 1903, T from Spilasma) = Prasonica seriata Simon, 1895 (Grasshoff, 1970b: 214)

Prasonica spillmanni (Lessert, 1933, T from Zilla) = Prasonica nigrotaeniata (Simon, 1909) (Grasshoff, 1971b: 305)

Nomina dubia:

Prasonica affinis Strand, 1906b: 619 (j, Algeria) -- Nentwig et al., 2020: 23

Prasonica olivacea Strand, 1906b: 619 (j, Ethiopia) -- Nentwig et al., 2020: 23

Prasonica albolimbata Simon, 1895 | | DR Congo,South Africa, Madagascar, Yemen urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016988 TYPE SPECIES
Prasonica albolimbata Simon, 1895a: 794 (Df) Original description
Prasonica albolimbata Grasshoff, 1971b: 299, f. 52c, 53a-f (Simon's f is juvenile, Dmf)
Prasonica albolimbata Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2022f: 41, 5 f. (f)
Prasonica anarillea Roberts, 1983 | | Seychelles (Aldabra) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016989
Prasonica anarillea Roberts, 1983: 263, f. 162-176 (Dmf) Original description
Prasonica anarillea Saaristo, 2010: 47, f. 4.61-61 (mf)
Prasonica hamata Thorell, 1899 | | Cameroon urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016990
Prasonica hamata Thorell, 1899: 41 (Df) Original description
Prasonica insolens (Simon, 1909) | | India, Vietnam, Java urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016991
Mangora insolens Simon, 1909e: 104 (Df) Original description
Prasonica insolens Grasshoff, 1971b: 304, f. 50b-c, 52a, 59a-e (f, T from Mangora)
Prasonica nigrotaeniata (Simon, 1909) | | West, Central, East Africa, South Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016992
Mangora nigrotaeniata Simon, 1909c: 40 (Df) Original description
Mangora spillmanni Lessert, 1933: 111, f. 25-27 (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:063032]
Zilla spillmanni Caporiacco, 1947c: 159 (T from Mangora)
Prasonica nigrotaeniata Grasshoff, 1971b: 305, f. 50a, 51a, 52e-f, 60a-e (mf, T from Mangora, S of Zilla spillmanni)
Prasonica nigrotaeniata Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2022f: 42, 5 f. (f)
Prasonica opaciceps (Simon, 1897) | | New Guinea urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016994
Lobetina opaciceps Simon, 1895a: 795 (nomen nudum) Original description
Lobetina opaciceps Simon, 1897b: 477 (Df)
Prasonica opaciceps Grasshoff, 1971b: 300, f. 52b, 55a-b (f, T from Lobetina)
Prasonica plagiata (Dalmas, 1917) | | New Zealand urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016995
Lobetina plagiata Dalmas, 1917a: 378 (Df) Original description
Prasonica seriata Simon, 1895 | | Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016996
Prasonica seriata Simon, 1895a: 794 (Df) Original description
Spilasma africana Simon, 1903e: 87 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:063031]
Prasonica seriata Grasshoff, 1970b: 214, f. 1e (S of Spilasma africana)
Prasonica seriata Grasshoff, 1971b: 301, f. 49a-b, 50d-f, 51b-c, 52d, 56a-b, 57a-f (Dm, f, S of Spilasma africana confirmed)
Prasonica seriata Saaristo, 2010: 47, f. 4.63a-d (mf)
Prasonica seriata Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2022f: 43, p. 40: 2 f., p. 43: 6 f. (f)

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