Araneus Spiders - Orbweavers
| Spider Resources Cellar Spiders Running Crab Spiders Funnel Web Spiders House Spiders Crab Spiders Daddy Long Legs Fishing Spiders Wolf Spiders Jumping Spiders Writing Spiders Long-jawed Orb Weavers |
The family divides into a couple of different genus (or groups), the largest being the genus Araneus. The Writing Spiders link in the box will take you to a description of an orbweaver in a different genus, Argiope.
Because of their size, the size of their web and their affinity for living in residential setting, many people call them garden spiders, without knowing their taxonomic group.
Physically, araneus spiders generally have a round abdomen, and when seen from a side view, the abdomen has spikes or points at the top.
Barn spiders, marbled orbweaves and the giant lichen orbweavver pictured above are examples of species in the genus. They spin their webs in lawns, barns and gardens around the United States.
Often the webs are built in open spaces, and the odds are that at some time in most peoples' lives, they receive a body or head full of web when they unintentionally walk through it.
The spider in the picture on the left, Araneus diadematus, is often called a garden spider or cross spider.
It is a common species in European gardens that found its way to gardens in the United States. It gets its nickname from the white cross on the back of the abdomen.
© 2005 Patricia A. Michaels