TANGLE WEB SPIDER

The 'tangle-web spiders', also known as 'cobweb spiders' and 'comb-footed spiders' (family 'Theridiidae') are a large group (over 2200 species in 87 genera [1]) of three-dimensional space-web-builders found throughout the world. The characteristics of this family of spiders are that they are entelegyne (have a genital plate in the female) araneomorph ecribellate (use sticky capture silk instead of woolly silk) spiders that build tangle space webs and have a comb of serrated bristles (setae) on the tarsus of the fourth leg. The family includes the genus ''Latrodectus'', the notorious widow spiders.
The family also contains the kleptoparasitic species of the subfamily Argyrodinae (including ''Argyrodes'', Faiditus, and Neospintharus) which often have triangular bodies. These spiders live in the webs of larger spiders and pilfer small prey caught by their host's web, eat prey killed by the host spider, and may consume silk from the host web. They sometimes attack and eat the host.
The largest genus with over 600 species currently placed in it is ''Theridion'', but it is not monophyletic. Another large, but most likely polyphyletic genus is ''Achaearanea'', that includes the common house spider. Many theridiids trap ants and other ground dwelling insects by means of elastic sticky silk trap lines leading to the soil surface.
One species in ''Theridion'', the Hawaiian ''T. grallator'', is known as the "happyface" spider, as certain morphs have a pattern uncannily resembling a smiley face or a grinning clown face on their yellow body.

Contents

Systematics

Gallery

See also

References

External links

Systematics

Recent years have seen advances in the systematics of cobweb spiders with phylogenies reconstructed using both morphological and molecular data. The following classification is built on these results (see also Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog.

★ Argyrodinae
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★ ''Argyrodes'' Simon, 1864
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★ ''Neospintharus'' Exline, 1950
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★ ''Ariamnes'' Thorell, 1869
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★ ''Deelemanella'' Yoshida, 2003
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★ ''Faiditus'' Keyserling, 1884
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★ ''Rhomphaea'' L. Koch, 1872
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★ ''Spheropistha'' Yaginuma, 1957

★ Hadrotarsinae
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★ ''Anatea'' Berland, 1927
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★ ''Audifia'' Keyserling, 1884
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★ ''Dipoena'' Thorell, 1869
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★ ''Dipoenata'' Wunderlich, 1988
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★ ''Emertonella'' Bryant, 1945
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★ ''Euryopis'' Menge, 1868
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★ ''Eurypoena'' Wunderlich, 1992
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★ ''Gmogala'' Keyserling, 1890
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★ ''Guaraniella'' Baert, 1984
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★ ''Hadrotarsus'' Thorell, 1881
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★ ''Lasaeola'' Simon, 1881
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★ ''Phycosoma'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1879
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★ ''Yaginumena'' Yoshida, 2002
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★ ''Yoroa'' Baert, 1984

★ Latrodectinae Petrunkevitch, 1928
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★ ''Crustulina'' Menge, 1868
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★ ''Latrodectus'' Walckenaer, 1805
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★ ''Steatoda'' Sundevall, 1833

★ Pholcommatinae Simon, 1894
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★ ''Asygyna'' Agnarsson, 2006
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★ ''Carniella'' Thaler & Steinberger, 1988
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★ ''Cerocida'' Simon, 1894
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★ ''Craspedisia'' Simon, 1894
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★ ''Enoplognatha'' Pavesi, 1880
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★ ''Helvidia'' Thorell, 1890
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★ ''Pholcomma'' Thorell, 1869
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★ ''Phoroncidia'' Westwood, 1835
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★ ''Proboscidula'' Miller, 1970
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★ ''Robertus'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1879
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★ ''Selkirkiella'' Berland, 1924
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★ ''Styposis'' Simon, 1894
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★ ''Theonoe'' Simon, 1881
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★ ''Wirada'' Keyserling, 1886

★ Sphintharinae
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★ ''Chrosiothes'' Simon, 1894
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★ ''Episinus'' Walckenaer, in Latreille, 1809
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★ ''Moneta'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1870
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★ ''Spintharus'' Hentz, 1850
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★ ''Thwaitesia'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1881
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★ ''Stemmops'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1894

★ Theridiinae
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★ ''Achaearanea'' Strand, 1929
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★ ''Achaearyopa'' Barrion & Litsinger, 1995
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★ ''Ameridion'' Wunderlich, 1995
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★ ''Cabello'' Levi, 1964
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★ ''Cephalobares'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1870
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★ ''Chrysso'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1882
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★ ''Coleosoma'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1882
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★ ''Cyllognatha'' L. Koch, 1872
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★ ''Dipoenura'' Simon, 1908
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★ ''Echinotheridion'' Levi, 1963
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★ ''Exalbidion'' Wunderlich, 1995
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★ ''Helvibis'' Keyserling, 1884
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★ ''Histagonia'' Simon, 1895
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★ ''Jamaitidion'' Wunderlich, 1995
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★ ''Keijia'' Yoshida, 2001
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★ ''Macaridion'' Wunderlich, 1992
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★ ''Molione'' Thorell, 1892
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★ ''Neottiura'' Menge, 1868
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★ ''Nesticodes'' Archer, 1950
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★ ''Nipponidion'' Yoshida, 2001
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★ ''Paratheridula'' Levi, 1957
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★ ''Propostira'' Simon, 1894
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★ ''Rugathodes'' Archer, 1950
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★ ''Sardinidion'' Wunderlich, 1995
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★ ''Simitidion'' Wunderlich, 1992
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★ ''Takayus'' Yoshida, 2001
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★ ''Tekellina'' Levi, 1957
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★ ''Theridion'' Walckenaer, 1805
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★ ''Theridula'' Emerton, 1882
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★ ''Thymoites'' Keyserling, 1884
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★ ''Tidarren'' Chamberlin & Ivie, 1934
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★ ''Wamba'' O. P.-Cambridge, 1896

★ ''incertae sedis''
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★ ''Anelosimus'' Simon, 1891
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★ ''Astodipoena'' Petrunkevitch, 1958 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Chorizopella'' Lawrence, 1947
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★ ''Clya'' Koch & Berendt, 1854 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Coscinida'' Simon, 1895
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★ ''Cretaraneus'' Selden, 1990 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Eodipoena'' Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Eoysmena'' Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Flegia'' Koch & Berendt, 1854 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Hetschkia'' Keyserling, 1886
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★ ''Icona'' Forster, 1955
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★ ''Kochiura'' Archer, 1950
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★ ''Landoppo'' Barrion & Litsinger, 1995
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★ ''Marianana'' Georgescu, 1989
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★ ''Mictodipoena'' Petrunkevitch, 1958 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Municeps'' Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Nactodipoena'' Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, cretaceous)
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★ ''Paidiscura'' Archer, 1950
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★ ''Tomoxena'' Simon, 1895
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★ ''Zercidium'' Benoit, 1977

Gallery

See also

★ List of Theridiidae species

★ Spider families

★ Cobweb habitude spiders

★ Theridiid webs

References

★ Agnarsson I. 2006a. A revision of the New World eximius lineage of Anelosimus (Araneae, Theridiidae) and a phylogenetic analysis using worldwide exemplars. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 146: 453-593. PDF

★ Agnarsson I. 2006b. Asymmetric female genitalia and other remarkable morphology in a new genus of cobweb spiders (Theridiidae, Araneae) from Madagascar. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 87: 211-232. PDF

★ Agnarsson I. 2006c. Phylogenetic placement of Echinotheridion (Araneae: Theridiidae) - do male sexual organ removal, emasculation, and sexual cannibalism in Echinotheridion and Tidarren represent evolutionary replicas? Invertebrate Systematics 20: 415-429. PDF

★ Agnarsson I. 2004. Morphological phylogeny of cobweb spiders and their relatives (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141: 447-626. PDF

★ Cooperative behavior of ''Anelosimus jabaquara'' (2002). PDF

★ Arnedo, M.A., Coddington, J., Agnarsson, I. & Gillespie, R.G. (2004). From a comb to a tree: phylogenetic relationships of the comb-footed spiders (Araneae, Theridiidae) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial genes. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 31:225-245. PDF

★ Arnedo MA, Agnarsson I, Gillespie RG. In Press. Molecular insights into the phylogenetic structure of the spider genus Theridion (Araneae, Theridiidae) and the origin of the Hawaiian Theridion-like fauna. Zoologica Scripta.

External links

★ Platnick, N.I. 2006. World Spider Catalog

★ Key to several Theridiidae genera