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. Macracantha Simon, 1864 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01506
type Aranea arcuata Fabricius, 1793; gender feminine
N.B.: described as a subgenus of Gasteracantha Sundevall, 1833; elevated to genus by Emerit, 1974: 29.

In synonymy:

Macracantha blackwalli (Keyserling, 1864) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Dahl, 1914: 250, sub Gasteracantha)

Macracantha curvicauda (Vauthier, 1824) = Macracantha arcuata (Fabricius, 1793) (Simon, 1886a: 147, sub Actinacantha)

Macracantha fabricii (Simon, 1899) = Macracantha arcuata (Fabricius, 1793) (Dahl, 1914: 242, sub Gasteracantha)

Macracantha helva (Blackwall, 1864) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Thorell, 1887: 224, sub Plectana)

Macracantha hepatica (L. Koch, 1871) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Thorell, 1887: 224, sub Plectana)

Macracantha horrens (Thorell, 1859) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Thorell, 1887: 224, sub Plectana)

Macracantha parvula (Thorell, 1859) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Dahl, 1914: 250, sub Gasteracantha)

Macracantha perakensis (Simon, 1901) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Dahl, 1914: 250, sub Gasteracantha)

Macracantha pictospina (van Hasselt, 1882) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Thorell, 1887: 224, sub Plectana)

Macracantha propinqua (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Dahl, 1914: 250, sub Gasteracantha)

Macracantha tjibodensis (Strand, 1907) = Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) (Dahl, 1914: 250, sub Gasteracantha)

Macracantha arcuata (Fabricius, 1793) | | India, Sri Lanka, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016304 TYPE SPECIES
Aranea arcuata Fabricius, 1793: 425 (Df) Original description
Epeira curvicauda Vauthier, 1824: 261, pl. 18, f. 1-6 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062769]
Gasteracantha arcuata C. L. Koch, 1837a: 34, f. 270 (f)
Plectana curvicauda Walckenaer, 1841: 175
Plectana arcuata Walckenaer, 1841: 177
Plectana arcuata Doleschall, 1859: 42, pl. 12, f. 3 (f)
Macracantha curvicauda Simon, 1864: 287
Macracantha arquata Simon, 1864: 287 (lapsus)
Gasteracantha curvicauda van Hasselt, 1882: 11
Gasteracantha beccarii van Hasselt, 1882: 11, pl. 4, f. 1 (j; misidentified per Roewer, 1942a: 939)
Actinacantha arcuata Simon, 1886a: 147 (S of Gasteracantha curvicauda)
Gasteracantha fabricii Simon, 1899a: 94 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062770]
Gasteracantha arcuata Simon, 1903h: 301 (Dm)
Gasteracantha arcuata Simon, 1904b: 282, pl. 16, f. 4 (f)
Gasteracantha (Macracantha) arcuata Dahl, 1914: 242, f. 1 (f, S of Gasteracantha fabricii)
Macracantha arcuata Emerit, 1974: 29, 120 (T from Gasteracantha)
Gasteracantha arcuata Tikader, 1982a: 69, f. 139-142 (f)
Gasteracantha arcuata Yin et al., 1997d: 94, f. 23a-c (f)
Gasteracantha arcuata Wang, 1998: 58, f. 1-4 (f)
Gasteracantha arcuata Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 281, f. 167N-P, 168A-B, O (f)
Macracantha arcuata Tan et al., 2019a: 47, f. 1G, 11A-E (f)
Macracantha arcuata Macharoenboon, Siriwut & Jeratthitikul, 2021: 43, f. 9A-B, 12A-C (f)
Macracantha hasselti (C. L. Koch, 1837) | | Pakistan, India and China to Indonesia urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016027
Gasteracantha hasseltii C. L. Koch, 1837a: 29, f. 267 (Df) Original description
Gasteracantha horrens Thorell, 1859: 303 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062771]
Gasteracantha parvula Thorell, 1859: 303 (Dm) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062772]
Gasteracantha blackwalli Keyserling, 1864: 65, pl. 1, f. 1 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062773]
Gasteracantha helva Blackwall, 1864b: 42 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062774]
Gasteracantha hepatica L. Koch, 1871: 8, pl. 1, f. 5 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062775]
Gasteracantha helva O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879c: 287, pl. 27, f. 15 (f)
Gasteracantha propinqua O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879c: 288, pl. 27, f. 16 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062776]
Gasteracantha pictospina van Hasselt, 1882: 14, pl. 1, f. 1-2 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062777]
Actinacantha pictispina Simon, 1885a: 37
Actinacantha propinqua Simon, 1886a: 147
Plectana hasseltii Thorell, 1887: 224 (S of Gasteracantha helvaG.hepaticaG.horrensand G.pictospina)
Macracantha hasselti Thorell, 1887: (S
Plectana blackwallii Thorell, 1890a: 68
Gasteracantha hasselti Pocock, 1900a: 233
Gasteracantha perakensis Simon, 1901k: 60 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062778]
Gasteracantha propinqua Simon, 1904b: 282, pl. 16, f. 5 (f)
Gasteracantha tjibodensis Strand, 1907m: 424 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062779]
Gasteracantha (Actinacantha) hasseltii Dahl, 1914: 250 (S of Gasteracantha blackwalli, G. parvula, G. perakensis, G. propinqua and G. tjibodensis)
Gasteracantha hasseltii Tikader, 1970: 41, f. 23b (f)
Actinacantha hasselti Emerit, 1974: 29
Gasteracantha hasseltii Tikader & Biswas, 1981: 33, f. 47-49 (f)
Gasteracantha hasseltii Tikader, 1982a: 63, f. 127-130 (f)
Gasteracantha hasselti Yin et al., 1997d: 96, f. 25a-f (mf)
Gasteracantha hasselti Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 281, f. 168E-F, K-L, Q-R (mf)
Gasteracantha hasselti Yin et al., 2012: 581, f. 279a-f (mf)
Gasteracantha hasselti Sen et al., 2015: 108, f. 617-621, pl. 21 (f)
Gasteracantha hasselti Williams, 2017: 249, f. 1-7 (mf)
Gasteracantha hasselti Tan et al., 2019a: 45, f. 1F, 7A-E (f)
Macracantha hasselti Macharoenboon, Siriwut & Jeratthitikul, 2021: 45, f. 9C-D, 12D-I (f, T from Gasteracantha)
Gasteracantha hasselti Akhtar & Summer, 2021: 842, f. 2-5, 6a-b (f)

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