World Spider Catalog

Araneidae Clerck, 1757

Family | ACCEPTED

In synonymy:

Haliger Mello-Leitão, 1943 = Kaira O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 (Levi, 1993c: 210, T from Theridiosomatidae)

Macpos Mello-Leitão, 1940 = Kaira O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 (Levi, 1977b: 214)

Pronarachne Mello-Leitão, 1937 = Kaira O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 (Levi, 1977b: 214)

Gen. Kaira O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01498

type Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889; gender feminine

N.B.: original spelling is Kaira, not Caira; type species designation of Kaira gibberosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904: 522 invalid, as only one species (Kaira altiventer) was published in 1889; considered a senior synonym of Pronarachne Mello-Leitão, 1937a: 8 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:05294] (type P. aries Mello-Leitão, 1937 = Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) and Macpos Mello-Leitão, 1940a: 59 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:05293] (type M. monstrosus Mello-Leitão, 1940) by Levi, 1977b: 214, and of Haliger Mello-Leitão, 1943a: 180 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:05295] (type H. corniferus Mello-Leitão, 1943 = Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889), transferred from the Theridiosomatidae, by Levi, 1993c: 210.

Transferred to other genera:

Kaira dromedaria O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893 -- see Pozonia

Kaira granadensis Mello-Leitão, 1941 -- see Pozonia

In synonymy:

Kaira aries (Mello-Leitão, 1937, T from Pronarachne) = Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 (Levi, 1977b: 218)

Kaira cornifera (Mello-Leitão, 1943, T from Haliger) = Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 (Levi, 1993c: 214)

Kaira fasciolata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889, T from Mastophora) = Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 (Levi, 2003: 325)

Kaira minutissima (Mello-Leitão, 1941) = Kaira gibberosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 (Levi, 1993c: 216)

Kaira obtusa Keyserling, 1892 = Kaira gibberosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 (Levi, 1993c: 216)

Kaira spinosa Simon, 1897 = Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 (Levi, 1977b: 218)

Nomina dubia:

Kaira capra Simon, 1897b: 479 (j, Paraguay) -- Levi, 1993c: 214

Kaira monstrosa (Mello-Leitão, 1940a: 59, f. 6a-b, f, Brazil, originally in Macpos) -- Levi, 1993c: 216

Kaira alba (Hentz, 1850) | | USA, Mexico urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016217

Epeira alba Hentz, 1850: 30, pl. 3, f. 7 (Df) Original description

Kaira alba Keyserling, 1892: 64, pl. 3, f. 50 (f)

Kaira alba McCook, 1894: 202, pl. 12, f. 3 (f)

Kaira alba Levi, 1977b: 216, f. 117-129 (Dm, f)

Kaira alba Levi, 1993c: 216, f. 1-2, 23-28 (mf)

Kaira alba Scharff & Coddington, 1997: 374, f. 16 (m)

Kaira alba Levi, 2002: 559, f. 313 (m)

Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 | | USA to Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016218 TYPE SPECIES

Epeiroides fasciolata O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889d: 15, pl. 8, f. 5 (Dm) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016375]

Kaira altiventer O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889d: 56, pl. 8, f. 13 (Df) Original description

Kaira altiventer Keyserling, 1892: 62, pl. 3, f. 48 (f)

Epeiroides fasciolata Keyserling, 1893: 309, pl. 16, f. 228 (m)

Caira spinosa Simon, 1897b: 478 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057758]

Aranea fasciolata F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904: 519, pl. 51, f. 5 (m)

Kaira altiventer F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904: 522, pl. 51, f. 10 (f)

Araneus fasciolatus Petrunkevitch, 1911: 291

Pronarachne aries Mello-Leitão, 1937a: 9, f. 10 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057755]

Haliger corniferus Mello-Leitão, 1943a: 180, f. 18 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:054338]

Kaira altiventer Levi, 1977b: 218, f. 130-137 (f, Dm, S of Kaira spinosa and Pronarachne aries)

Mastophora fasciolata Levi, 1991a: 180 (T from Araneus)

Kaira altiventer Levi, 1993c: 213, f. 3-22 (mf, S of Haliger cornifer)

Kaira altiventer Levi, 2002: 533, f. 8, 10-12 (f)

Kaira altiventer Levi, 2003: 325 (S of Mastophora fasciolata)

Kaira candidissima (Mello-Leitão, 1941) | | Argentina urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016219

Macpos candidissimus Mello-Leitão, 1941f: 212, f. 18-19 (Df) Original description

Kaira candidissima Brignoli, 1983c: 271

Kaira candidissima Levi, 1993c: 221, f. 66-69 (f)

Kaira candidissima Peralta-Seen et al., 2026: 334, f. 1-19 (Dm, f)

Kaira cobimcha Levi, 1993 | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016220

Kaira cobimcha Levi, 1993c: 223, f. 86-92 (Dmf) Original description

Kaira conica Gerschman & Schiapelli, 1948 | | Brazil, Argentina urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016221

Kaira conica Gerschman & Schiapelli, 1948: 11, f. 11-13 (Df) Original description

Kaira conica Levi, 1993c: 221, f. 70-74 (f)

Kaira dianae Levi, 1993 | | Peru urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016222

Kaira dianae Levi, 1993c: 221, f. 61-65 (Df) Original description

Kaira echinus (Simon, 1897) | | Brazil, Argentina urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016223

Caira echinus Simon, 1897b: 479 (Df) Original description

Kaira echinus Petrunkevitch, 1911: 352

Kaira echinus Levi, 1993c: 222, f. 75-81 (f, Dm)

Kaira electa (Keyserling, 1883) | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016224

Epeira electa Keyserling, 1883a: 196, pl. 15, f. 2 (Dmf) Original description

Epeira electa Keyserling, 1893: 250, pl. 12, f. 186 (m)

Araneus electus Petrunkevitch, 1911: 290

Kaira electa Levi, 1991a: 179 (T from Araneus)

Kaira erwini Levi, 1993 | | Peru urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016225

Kaira erwini Levi, 1993c: 220, f. 52-56 (Df) Original description

Kaira gibberosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 | | Mexico to Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016226

Kaira gibberosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890a: 57, pl. 3, f. 12 (Df) Original description

Kaira gibberosa Keyserling, 1892: 63, pl. 3, f. 49 (f)

Kaira obtusa Keyserling, 1892: 66, pl. 3, f. 51 (Dj) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057757]

Kaira gibberosa F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904: 522, pl. 51, f. 9 (f)

Wagneriana minutissima Mello-Leitão, 1941c: 250 (Dm [not f]) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057756]

Kaira minutissima Levi, 1991b: 373 (T from Wagneriana)

Kaira gibberosa Levi, 1993c: 216, f. 29-47 (mf, S of Kaira minutissima and K. obtusa)

Kaira gibberosa Peralta-Seen et al., 2026: 340, f. 20-25 (mf)

Kaira hiteae Levi, 1977 | | USA urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016227

Kaira hiteae Levi, 1977b: 220, f. 138-140 (Dm) Original description

Kaira hiteae Levi, 1993c: 222, f. 82-85 (Df)

Kaira levii Alayón, 1993 | | Cuba urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016228

Kaira levii Alayón, 1993e: 2, f. 1A-D (Df) Original description

Kaira mbywangiae Pett & Pai-Gibson, 2024 | | Paraguay urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:060053

Kaira mbywangiae Pett & Pai-Gibson, 2024: 1000, f. 7-13 (Df) Original description

Kaira sabino Levi, 1977 | | USA urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016229

Kaira sabino Levi, 1977b: 221, f. 141-147 (Df) Original description

Kaira sexta (Chamberlin, 1916) | | Guatemala to Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016230

Aranea sexta Chamberlin, 1916: 255, pl. 19, f. 7 (Df) Original description

Araneus sexta Levi, 1991a: 259, f. 339-342 (Dmf; N.B.: Chamberlin's f is juvenile)

Kaira sexta Levi, 1993c: 24 (T from Araneus)

Kaira sexta Levi, 2002: 540, f. 93-94 (f)

Kaira shinguito Levi, 1993 | | Peru urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016231

Kaira shinguito Levi, 1993c: 220, f. 57-60 (Df) Original description

Kaira tulua Levi, 1993 | | Colombia urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:016232

Kaira tulua Levi, 1993c: 220, f. 48-51 (Df) Original description