Gasteracantha is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first named by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833.[2] Species of the genus are known as spiny-backed orb-weavers, spiny orb-weavers, or spiny spiders. The females of most species are brightly colored with six prominent spines on their broad, hardened, shell-like abdomens. The name Gasteracantha is derived from the Greek gaster (γαστήρ), meaning "belly, abdomen", and akantha (άκανθα), meaning "thorn, spine".[3] Spiny-backed orb-weavers are sometimes colloquially called "crab spiders" because of their shape, but they are not closely related to the true crab spiders.[4] Other colloquial names for certain species include thorn spider,[5] star spider,[6] kite spider, or jewel spider.
Members of the genus exhibit strong sexual dimorphism. Females are several times larger than males, which lack prominent spines or bright colors.[4][5][7]
Other genera in the same family are also known as spiny orb-weavers.[8]
^ abCite error: The named reference WSC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Sundevall, C. J. (1833). Conspectus Arachnidum. Lund, Sweden. p. 14.
Gasteracantha is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first named by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. Species of the genus are known as spiny-backed orb-weavers...
Gasteracantha cancriformis (spinybacked orbweaver) is a species of orb-weaver spider (family Araneidae). It is widely distributed in the New World. The...
Gasteracantha versicolor, known as the long-winged kite spider,[citation needed] is a species of diurnal spiny orb-weaver of the family Araneidae. It...
Gasteracantha fornicata (northern jewelled spider) is a species of spiny orb-weavers (family Araneidae) found in Queensland Australia. It is similar in...
spider Araneus gemmoides, as well as the widespread jewel box spider Gasteracantha cancriformis. In some parts of Australia they are also widely known...
Gasteracantha geminata is a species of spider of the genus Gasteracantha, found in India and Sri Lanka. It is known as the oriental spiny orb-weaver.[citation...
[failed verification], although some schemes also recognise inclusion of Gasteracantha hasselti in this genus. Macracantha is notable for the extremely long...
Gasteracantha hecata is a species of spider in the spiny orb-weaver genus Gasteracantha. It occurs in the Philippines and has prominent horn-like spines...
Gasteracantha westringi is a species of spiny orb-weaver spider in the genus Gasteracantha. It is found in Australasia, including New Caledonia and Norfolk...
misidentified as Gasteracantha mammosa, which is now G. cancriformis. It has gone through a checkered name history, with many synonyms: Gasteracantha alba Vinson...
Gasteracantha interrupta is a species of spiny orb-weaver spider in the genus Gasteracantha. It is black and white in color, and it occurs in the Lesser...
Gasteracantha diardi is a species of spider in the spiny orb-weaver genus Gasteracantha. It occurs in Southeast Asia. The range of Gasteracantha diardi...
Gasteracantha falcicornis is a species of spider belonging to the family Araneidae. It is found in eastern and southern Africa. The female, larger and...
Gasteracantha remifera is a species of spiny orb-weaver spider in the genus Gasteracantha. It is found in Sri Lanka and India, and it has a pair of long...
Gasteracantha clavigera is a species of spider in the spiny orb-weaver genus Gasteracantha. Gasteracantha clavigera occurs in the Philippines. Dahl (1914)...
Gasteracantha gambeyi is a species of spiny orb-weaver spider in the genus Gasteracantha. It was described from New Caledonia. Gasteracantha gambeyi is...
Gasteracantha kuhli is a species of spiny orb-weaver spider in the genus Gasteracantha, widespread from India to Japan, the Philippines, and Java in Indonesia...
Gasteracantha recurva is a species of spiny orb-weaver spider in the genus Gasteracantha. It was described from Manila, Philippines in 1877. Gasteracantha...
Gasteracantha clavatrix is a species of spider of the genus Gasteracantha. It occurs in Indonesia. Gasteracantha clavatrix is known from Sulawesi. Dahl...
Gasteracantha sturi, commonly known as the blunt-spined kite spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Araneidae. It is found in Southeast...
the Australian jewel spider Gasteracantha cancriformis, sometimes known as the jewel box spider or jewel spider Gasteracantha fornicata, the northern jewelled...
Gasteracantha quadrispinosa, the four-spined jewel spider, is a brightly coloured species of spider in the spiny orb-weaver genus Gasteracantha. It occurs...
Gasteracantha mengei is a species of spider in the spiny orb-weaver genus Gasteracantha. Its range includes Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, and...
Gasteracantha flava is a species of spider described in 1849 from Chile. The spider's abdomen bears 14 spines (six on each side and two in the rear) and...
small to be worth eating. Orange spider egg sac hanging from ceiling Gasteracantha mammosa spiderlings next to their eggs capsule Wolf spider carrying...
the genus Micrathena and likely function as anti-predator defenses. Gasteracantha orb-weavers also have hardened abdomens with variously shaped spines...
Kite spider refers to one of the following genera: Gasteracantha, the spiny orb-weavers or kite spiders Isoxya, the box kite spiders This page is an index...
Global Information
