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. Acrosomoides Simon, 1887 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01421
type Gasteracantha chaperi Simon, 1887; gender masculine
N.B.: described as subgenus; removed from the synonymy of Gasteracantha Sundevall, 1833 by Benoit, 1962a: 45.

In synonymy:

Acrosomoides chaperi (Simon, 1887) = Acrosomoides linnaei (Walckenaer, 1841) (Dahl, 1914: 268, sub Gasteracantha)

Acrosomoides heterodoxa (Karsch, 1879) = Acrosomoides linnaei (Walckenaer, 1841) (Dahl, 1914: 268, sub Gasteracantha)

Acrosomoides inversa (Walckenaer, 1841) = Acrosomoides linnaei (Walckenaer, 1841) (Dahl, 1914: 268, sub Gasteracantha)

Acrosomoides acrosomoides (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) | | Madagascar urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014425
Gasteracantha acrosomoides O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879c: 289, pl. 27, f. 19 (Df) Original description
Acrosomoides acrosomoides Emerit, 1974: 61, f. 20-21, 22A-C, 26C (f, T from Gasteracantha)
Acrosomoides acrosomoides Emerit, 1982b: 154, f. 1
Acrosomoides linnaei (Walckenaer, 1841) | | West, Central, East Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014426 TYPE SPECIES
Plectana linnaei Walckenaer, 1841: 163 (Df) Original description
Plectana inversa Walckenaer, 1841: 164 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065577]
Atelacantha heterodoxa Karsch, 1879a: 330 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065578]
Gasteracantha (Acrosomoides) chaperi Simon, 1887a: 266 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065579]
Gasteracantha (Acrosomoides) linnaei Dahl, 1914: 268 (S of Gasteracantha chaperi, G. heterodoxa and G. inversa)
Acrosomoides linnaei Benoit, 1962a: 45, f. 30-31 (f, T from Gasteracantha)
Acrosomoides linnaei Emerit, 1982c: 461, f. 3-4 (Dm)
Acrosomoides tetraedra (Walckenaer, 1841) | | Cameroon, Congo urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014427
Plectana tetraedra Walckenaer, 1841: 166 (Df) Original description
Gasteracantha tetraedra Dahl, 1914: 269, f. 9 (f)
Acrosomoides tetraedra Benoit, 1962a: 48, f. 33-34 (f, T from Gasteracantha)

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