| Araneomorph spiders Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Nephila inaurata (Nephilidae) | |
| |
| Pholcus phalangioides female with eggsac (Pholcidae) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Opisthothelae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Subdivisions | |
| |
| Diversity | |
| 95 families | |
The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha or "true spiders"[1]) are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to those of Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their close kin), which point straight down. Araneomorphs comprise the vast majority (about 92%) of living spiders.
Distinguishing characteristics
[edit]Most spider species are Araneomorphae, which have fangs that face towards each other, increasing the orientations that they can employ during prey-capture. They have fewer book lungs (when present) – usually one pair – and the females typically live one year.
The Mygalomorphae have fangs that face towards the ground, and which are parallel to the long axis of the spider's body, thus they have only one orientation they can employ during prey capture. They have two pairs of book lungs, and the females often live many years.[2]
-
This Cheiracanthium punctorium shows the orientation of Araneomorphae fangs. -
This Atrax robustus shows the orientation of Mygalomorphae fangs.
Spiders included
[edit]Almost all of the familiar spiders are included in the Araneomorphae group, one major exception being the tarantulas. There are a few other Mygalomorphae species that live around homes or gardens, but they typically are relatively small and not easily noticed.
The Araneomorphae, to the contrary, include the weavers of spiral webs; the cobweb spiders that live in the corners of rooms, and between windows and screens; the crab spiders that lurk on the surfaces of flowers in gardens; the jumping spiders that are visible hunting on surfaces; the wolf spiders that carpet hunting sites in sunny spots; and the large huntsman spiders.
Systematics
[edit]In older schemes, the Araneomorphae were divided into two lineages, the Hypochilae (containing only the family Hypochilidae), and the Neocribellatae. The Neocribellatae were in turn divided into the Austrochiloidea, and the two series Haplogynae and Entelogynae, each containing several superfamilies. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the haplogynes in particular are not a monophyletic group. A 2020 study suggested the relationships among the major groups were as shown in the following cladogram.[3]
| Araneomorphae | Haplogynae | |
The blue bar to the right shows the former Haplogynae in the sense of Coddington (2005).[4]
Table of families
[edit]| Genera | 1 | ≥2 | ≥10 | ≥100 |
| Species | 1–9 | ≥10 | ≥100 | ≥1000 |
Extinct families
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Unless otherwise shown, currently accepted families and counts based on the World Spider Catalog version 26 as of 23 January 2026[update].[5] In the World Spider Catalog, "species" counts may include subspecies. Assignment to sub- and infraorders based on Coddington (2005, p. 20) (when given there).
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ Coddington, J.A. (2005). "Phylogeny and Classification of Spiders" (PDF). In Ubick, D.; Paquin, P.; Cushing, P.E.; Roth, V. (eds.). Spiders of North America: an identification manual. American Arachnological Society. pp. 18–24. ISBN 978-0-9771439-0-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
- ^ "ABOUT SPIDERS". www.publish.csiro.au. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ Magalhaes, Ivan L. F.; Azevedo, Guilherme H. F.; Michalik, Peter; Ramírez, Martín J. (February 2020). "The fossil record of spiders revisited: implications for calibrating trees and evidence for a major faunal turnover since the Mesozoic". Biological Reviews. 95 (1): 184–217. doi:10.1111/brv.12559. ISSN 1464-7931. PMID 31713947. S2CID 207937170.
- ^ Coddington, Jonathan A. (2005). "Phylogeny and classification of spiders" (PDF). In Ubick, D.; Paquin, P.; Cushing, P.E. & Roth, V. (eds.). Spiders of North America: an identification manual. American Arachnological Society. pp. 18–24. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
- ^ World Spider Catalog (2026), Families.
- World Spider Catalog (2026). "World Spider Catalog version 26". Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Araneomorphae at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Araneomorphae at Wikispecies
| Arachnology |  | |
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| Taxonomy | ||
| Anatomy | ||
| Human interaction | ||
| Webs | ||
