Spiny orb-weaver

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Spiny orb-weavers

G. cancriformis

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Gasteracantha Sundevall, 1833

Diversity

69 species

Species

G. cancriformis
G. fornicata
G. remifera
many others

The spiny orb-weavers (genus Gasteracantha) are a type of spider. They are also commonly called Spiny-backed orb-weavers, due to the prominent spines on their abdomen. These spiders can reach sizes of up to 30mm in diameter (measured from spike to spike). Although their shell is shaped like a crab shell with spikes, it is not to be confused with a crab spider.

[edit] Species

Gasteracantha aciculata (Pocock, 1899) (New Britain)
Gasteracantha acutispina Dahl, 1914 (Sulawesi)
Gasteracantha audouini Guérin, 1838 (Sumatra, Timor, Amboina, Philippines)
Gasteracantha beccarii Thorell, 1877 (Sulawesi)
Gasteracantha biloba (Thorell, 1878) (Moluccas, Amboina)
Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) (New World)
- Gasteracantha cancriformis gertschi Archer, 1941 (USA)
Gasteracantha clarki Emerit, 1974 (Seychelles)
Gasteracantha clavatrix (Walckenaer, 1842) (Lombok, Sulawesi, Mentawai Is.)
Gasteracantha clavigera Giebel, 1863 (Thailand, Philippines, Sulawesi)
Gasteracantha crucigera Bradley, 1877 (New Guinea)
Gasteracantha curvispina (Guérin, 1837) (West, Central Africa, Bioko)
Gasteracantha curvistyla Dahl, 1914 (Togian Is., near Sulawesi)
Gasteracantha cuspidata C. L. Koch, 1837 (Malaysia, Nicobar Is., Java)

Gasteracantha dalyi

Gasteracantha dalyi Pocock, 1900 (India, Pakistan)
Gasteracantha diadesmia Thorell, 1887 (India to Philippines)
Gasteracantha diardi (Lucas, 1835) (China, Thailand, Malaysia, Sunda Is.)
Gasteracantha doriae Simon, 1877 (Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo)
Gasteracantha falcicornis Butler, 1873 (Africa)
Gasteracantha fasciata Guérin, 1838 (New Guinea, Guam)
Gasteracantha flava Nicolet, 1849 (Chile)
Gasteracantha fornicata (Fabricius, 1775) (Queensland)
Gasteracantha frontata Blackwall, 1864 (India, Myanmar, Thailand, Flores, Borneo)
Gasteracantha gambeyi Simon, 1877 (New Caledonia)
Gasteracantha geminata (Fabricius, 1798) (India, Sri Lanka)
Gasteracantha hasselti C. L. Koch, 1837 (India, China to Moluccas)
Gasteracantha hecata (Walckenaer, 1842) (Philippines)
Gasteracantha interrupta Dahl, 1914 (Lombok, Sulawesi)
Gasteracantha irradiata (Walckenaer, 1842) (Thailand to Philippines, Sulawesi)
Gasteracantha janopol Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 (Philippines)
Gasteracantha kuhli C. L. Koch, 1837 (India to Japan, Philippines)
Gasteracantha lepelletieri (Guérin, 1825) (Sumatra to Philippines, New Guinea)
Gasteracantha lunata Guérin, 1838 (Timor, Moluccas, New Caledonia)
Gasteracantha martensi Dahl, 1914 (Sumatra)
Gasteracantha mediofusca (Doleschall, 1859) (Java, New Guinea)
Gasteracantha mengei Keyserling, 1864 (Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo)
Gasteracantha metallica (Pocock, 1898) (Solomon Is.)
Gasteracantha milvoides Butler, 1873 (Central, East, Southern Africa)
Gasteracantha notata Kulczyn'ski, 1910 (New Britain)
Gasteracantha panisicca Butler, 1873 (Myanmar to Philippines, Java)
Gasteracantha parangdiadesmia Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 (Philippines)
Gasteracantha pentagona (Walckenaer, 1842) (New Ireland, New Britain)
- Gasteracantha pentagona anirica Strand, 1915 (Bismarck Arch.)
Gasteracantha picta (Thorell, 1892) (Singapore)
Gasteracantha quadrispinosa O. P.-Cambridge, 1879 (New Guinea, Queensland)
Gasteracantha recurva Simon, 1877 (Philippines)
Gasteracantha regalis Butler, 1873 (New Hebrides)
Gasteracantha remifera Butler, 1873 (India, Sri Lanka)
Gasteracantha rhomboidea Guérin, 1838 (Mauritius)
- Gasteracantha rhomboidea comorensis Strand, 1917 (Comoro Is.)
- Gasteracantha rhomboidea madagascariensis Vinson, 1863 (Madagascar)
Gasteracantha rubrospinis Guérin, 1838 (Lombok, Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Caledonia, Guam)
Gasteracantha rufithorax Simon, 1881 (Madagascar)
Gasteracantha sacerdotalis L. Koch, 1872 (New Guinea, Queensland, New Caledonia)
Gasteracantha sanguinea Dahl, 1914 (Philippines)
Gasteracantha sanguinolenta C. L. Koch, 1844 (Africa, São * Tomé Socotra)
- Gasteracantha sanguinolenta andrefanae Emerit, 1974 (Madagascar)
- Gasteracantha sanguinolenta bigoti Emerit, 1974 (Madagascar)
- Gasteracantha sanguinolenta emeriti Roberts, 1983 (Aldabra)
- Gasteracantha sanguinolenta insulicola Emerit, 1974 (Seychelles)
- Gasteracantha sanguinolenta legendrei Emerit, 1974 (Europa Is.)
- Gasteracantha sanguinolenta mangrovae Emerit, 1974 (Madagascar)
- Gasteracantha sanguinolenta rueppelli (Strand, 1916) (Egypt)
Gasteracantha sapperi Dahl, 1914 (New Guinea)
Gasteracantha sauteri Dahl, 1914 (China, Taiwan)
Gasteracantha scintillans Butler, 1873 (Solomon Is.)
Gasteracantha signifera Pocock, 1898 (Solomon Is.)
- Gasteracantha signifera bistrigella Strand, 1915 (Bismarck Arch.)
- Gasteracantha signifera heterospina Strand, 1915 (Bismarck Arch.)
- Gasteracantha signifera pustulinota Strand, 1915 (Bismarck Arch.)
Gasteracantha simoni O. P.-Cambridge, 1879 (Central Africa)
Gasteracantha sororna Butler, 1873 (India)
Gasteracantha sturi (Doleschall, 1857) (Sumatra, Java, Moluccas)
Gasteracantha subaequispina Dahl, 1914 (Borneo, New Guinea)
Gasteracantha taeniata (Walckenaer, 1842) (India to Polynesia)
- Gasteracantha taeniata analispina Strand, 1911 (New Guinea)
- Gasteracantha taeniata anirensis Strand, 1911 (New Ireland)
- Gasteracantha taeniata bawensis Strand, 1915 (New Guinea)
- Gasteracantha taeniata jamurensis Strand, 1915 (New Guinea)
- Gasteracantha taeniata lugubris Simon, 1898 (Solomon Is.)
- Gasteracantha taeniata maculella Strand, 1911 (Aru Is.)
- Gasteracantha taeniata novahannoveriana Dahl, 1914 (Bismarck Arch.)
- Gasteracantha taeniata obsoletopicta Strand, 1915 (Indonesia)
- Gasteracantha taeniata oinokensis Strand, 1915 (New Guinea)
- Gasteracantha taeniata sentanensis Strand, 1915 (New Guinea)
- Gasteracantha taeniata trivittinota Strand, 1911 (New Ireland)
- Gasteracantha taeniata univittinota Strand, 1911 (New Ireland)
Gasteracantha theisi Guérin, 1838 (New Guinea, Moluccas)
- Gasteracantha theisii antemaculata Strand, 1911 (Aru Is.)
- Gasteracantha theisii keyana Strand, 1911 (Kei Is.)
- Gasteracantha theisii quadrisignatella Strand, 1911 (Indonesia)
Gasteracantha thomasinsulae Archer, 1951 (São Tomé)
Gasteracantha thorelli Keyserling, 1864 (Madagascar)
Gasteracantha tondanae Pocock, 1897 (Sulawesi)
Gasteracantha transversa C. L. Koch, 1837 (Sumatra, Java)
Gasteracantha unguifera Simon, 1889 (India)
Gasteracantha versicolor (Walckenaer, 1842) (Central, East, Southern Africa)
- Gasteracantha versicolor avaratrae Emerit, 1974 (Madagascar)
- Gasteracantha versicolor formosa Vinson, 1863 (Madagascar)
Gasteracantha westringi Keyserling, 1864 (Australia, Admiralty Is., New Caledonia)

[edit] Gallery

Horned spider (Gasteracantha arcuata) with only one horn, in Thailand	Spiny-backed orb weaver - topside (Gasteracantha cancriformis)	Spiny-backed orb weaver - underside (Gasteracantha cancriformis)	Spiny-backed orb-weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) from Hernando, Florida
Spiny-backed orb weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) on a relatively small web	Spiny-backed orb weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) from Austin, Texas	G. cf. remifera	G. dalyi from Wayanad, India.