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. Siwa Grasshoff, 1970 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01560
type Larinia atomaria O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876; gender feminine

In synonymy:

Siwa lotan (Levy, 2007, T from Neoscona) = Siwa dufouri (Simon, 1874) (Zonstein, 2025b: 289)

Siwa ovata (Denis, 1947, T from Larinia) = Siwa atomaria (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) (Grasshoff, 1970b: 217)

Siwa atomaria (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) | | Egypt, Israel, Azerbaijan, Iran urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017065 TYPE SPECIES
Epeira atomaria O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876b: 577, pl. 59, f. 9 (Dmf) Original description
Larinia atomaria Roewer, 1942a: 768
Larinia ovata Denis, 1947a: 47, pl. II, f. 7-9 (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:058005]
Siwa atomaria Grasshoff, 1970b: 217 (T from Larinia, S of Larinia ovata)
Siwa atomaria Grasshoff, 1970c: 409, f. 18a-f (mf)
Siwa atomaria Levy, 1986: 3, f. 1-9 (mf)
Siwa atomaria Zonstein, 2025b: 289, f. 1-13 (mf)
Siwa dufouri (Simon, 1874) | | Spain, France, Italy (Sardinia), Malta, Greece, Algeria urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:017066
Larinia dufouri Simon, 1874a: 116, pl. 2, f. 5-6 (Df) Original description
Araneus dufouri Simon, 1929: 692, 762, f. 1070b, 1071b (f, Dm)
Araneus dufouri Grasshoff, 1970b: 218 (T from Larinia)
Siwa dufouri Levy, 1986: 3, f. 10-17 (mf, T from Araneus)
Siwa dufouri Melic, 2000c: 59, f. 1-3 (f)
Neoscona lotan Levy, 2007: 27, f. 70-74 (Dm) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:041050]
Siwa dufouri Wunderlich, 2011: 11, f. 10-13 (mf)
Siwa dufouri Dentici, 2018: 86, f. 4-6 (f)
Siwa dufouri Morano et al., 2021: 84, f. 4A (m)
Siwa dufouri Murphy in Logunov, 2022a: 80, f. 5 (f)
Siwa dufouri Morano, 2023: 102, f. 112-115 (mf)
Siwa dufouri van Helsdingen & IJland, 2024: 6, f. 11-13 (f)
Siwa dufouri Zonstein, 2025b: 289, f. 14-22, 28-32 (mf, S of Neoscona lotan)

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