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:

Acantharanea Strand, 1929 = Acantharachne Tullgren, 1910 (Strand, 1929: 17, superfluous replacement name)

Gen. Acantharachne Tullgren, 1910 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:03437
type Acantharachne cornuta Tullgren, 1910; gender feminine
N.B.: the replacement name Acantharanea Strand, 1929: 17 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:05230] is unnecessary, as Acantharachne Tullgren, 1910 is not preoccupied by the differently-spelled Acantharachna in Echinodermata by Smith, 1878.
Acantharachne cornuta Tullgren, 1910 | | Tanzania urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014412 TYPE SPECIES
Acantharachne cornuta Tullgren, 1910: 171, f. 1, pl. 4, f. 124 (Df) Original description
Acantharanea cornuta Strand, 1929: 17 (superfluous generic replacement name)
Acantharachne giltayi Lessert, 1938 | | Congo, Madagascar urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014413
Acantharachne giltayi Lessert, 1938: 451, f. 38-40 (Df) Original description
Acantharachne giltayi Emerit, 2000: 155, f. 17-18 (f)
Acantharachne lesserti Giltay, 1930 | | Congo urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014414
Acantharachne lesserti Giltay, 1930: 128, f. 1 (Df) Original description
Acantharachne madecassa Emerit, 2000 | | Madagascar urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:037056
Acantharachne madecassa Emerit, 1978: 361, f. 2 (nomen nudum)
Acantharachne madecassa Emerit, 2000: 153, f. 12-13 (Df) Original description
Acantharachne milloti Emerit, 2000 | | Madagascar urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:037057
Acantharachne milloti Emerit, 1978: 362, f. 3 (nomen nudum)
Acantharachne milloti Emerit, 2000: 154, f. 14-16 (Df) Original description
Acantharachne psyche Strand, 1913 | | Central Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014415
Acantharachne psyche Strand, 1913a: 389 (Df) Original description
Acantharachne regalis Hirst, 1926 | | Cameroon, Congo urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014416
Acantharachne regalis Hirst, 1926: 1271, f. 1 (Df) Original description
Acantharachne seydeli Giltay, 1935 | | DR Congo, South Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:014417
Acantharachne seydeli Giltay, 1935b: 10, f. 6 (Df) Original description
Acantharachne seydeli Dippenaar-Schoeman, Sander & Webb, 2022: 9, f. 1-9 (f habitus)

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