Genus of arachnids (long-jawed orb weaver spiders)
Leucauge
Leucauge venusta (orchard spider)
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Chelicerata
Class:
Arachnida
Order:
Araneae
Infraorder:
Araneomorphae
Family:
Tetragnathidae
Genus:
Leucauge White, 1841
Diversity
167 species
Synonyms
Alcimosphenus Simon, 1895[1]
Mecynometa Simon, 1894[1]
Opadometa Archer, 1951[1]
Opas O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896[1]
Plesiometa F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1903[2]
Leucauge (/luːˈkɔːɡeɪ/) is a spider genus of long-jawed orb weavers, with over 160 species and fully pantropical distribution.
The genus was first documented in Scottish zoologist Adam White's 1841 Description of new or little known Arachnida. Charles Darwin had suggested the name of the genus and collected the first specimen in May 1832, later named L. argyrobapta.
A vague description and the loss of the only specimen left the genus ill-defined. Leucauge developed into something of a wastebasket taxon containing 300 loosely related species, until research in the year 2010 resolved L. argyrobapta as a synonym of the quite common L. venusta and allowed revision and reclassing of the genus.[3] However, a 2018 paper restored Leucauge argyrobapta as a separate species.[4]
Leucauge venusta
The body and leg shapes and the silver, black and yellow markings of Leucauge females make identification of the genus relatively easy. They have two rows of long, slender curved hairs on the femurs of the fourth leg. In most cases the web is slanted rather than vertical and the spider rests in the middle of the web with its underside facing upwards.
^ abcdBallesteros, Jesús; Hormiga, Gustavo (2021). "Molecular phylogeny of the orb-weaving spider genus Leucauge and the intergeneric relationships of Leucauginae (Araneae, Tetragnathidae)". Invertebrate Systematics. 35 (8): 922–939. doi:10.1071/IS21029. S2CID 244162090.
^Levi, Herbert Walter (1980). "The orb-weaver genus Mecynogea, the subfamily Metinae and the genera Pachygnatha, Glenognatha and Azilia of the subfamily Tetragnathinae north of Mexico (Araneae: Araneidae)". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 149: 1–74.
^Friedman, Danny. "A Tangled Web" (PDF). George Washington University. GW Research. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
^Ballesteros, Jesús A.; Hormiga, Gustavo (2018). "Species delimitation of the North American orchard-spider Leucauge venusta (Walckenaer, 1841) (Araneae, Tetragnathidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 121: 183–197. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.01.002. PMID 29337274.
Leucauge venusta, known as the orchard orbweaver spider, is a long-jawed orbweaver spider that occurs from southern Canada to Colombia, along the East...
Leucauge argyrobapta, or Mabel's orchard orb weaver, is a species of long-jawed orb weaver in the spider family Tetragnathidae. It is found in Southern...
Leucauge argyra is a spider found North, Central and South America (from United States to Brazil and the Caribbean. Leucauge argyra (and many other Leucauge...
Leucauge decorata, the decorative silver orb spider, is one of the long-jawed orb weaver spiders. A medium to large sized orb weaving spider, with a body...
Leucauge mariana is a long-jawed orb weaver spider, native to Central America and South America. Its web building and sexual behavior have been studied...
Leucauge fastigata, the pear-shaped leucauge, is a species of spiders in the family Tetragnathidae (long-jawed orb weavers). Its native range extends from...
Leucauge ditissima, is a species of spider of the genus Leucauge. It is found in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. List of Tetragnathidae species "Leucauge ditissima...
Leucauge dromedaria, the humped silver orb spider, is one of the long-jawed orb weaver spiders. A medium to large sized orb weaving spider, with a body...
Leucauge granulata is one of the long-jawed orb weaver spiders (family Tetragnathidae). It is found in India, Sri Lanka, China, the Sunda Islands (Indonensia)...
Leucauge lamperti, is a species of spider of the genus Leucauge. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. List of Tetragnathidae species "Leucauge lamperti Strand...
during mating interactions. A peculiar example of mate plugging occurs in Leucauge mariana spiders. Both male and female participation is required to create...
Leucauge celebesiana, commonly called the black-striped orchard spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Tetragnathidae. It is found from...
Leucauge argenteanigra is an endemic long-jawed orb weaving spider species of the family Tetragnathidae that lives on São Tomé Island. It was first described...
Leucauge subblanda is one of several species of orchard spider found in Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. "Leucauge subblanda". World...
in specialized cells called guanocytes. In genera such as Tetragnatha, Leucauge, Argyrodes or Theridiosoma, guanine creates their silvery appearance. While...
of heat control). The best distinction between Leucauge and Nephila juveniles is web structure: Leucauge species tend to build horizontal orbs that form...
narrowly connected to other webs within the colony (such is the case with Leucauge spp.). This is not a fully cooperative behavior as there is little to no...
Rineloricaria Leucauge decorata nigricauda, Schenkel, 1944, a subspecies in the spider species Leucauge decorata and the genus Leucauge found in Timor...
under the name Leucauge setigera, and was moved to its own genus in 1951. Physically, they resemble members of Opadometa and Leucauge. Males are very...
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