| | The spider families of Britain and Ireland |
Including Zygiella, cf. Platnick 2002
Orb Weavers.
Morphology. The adult spiders 3–15 mm long; decidedly plump-bodied (females), or of medium build to decidedly plump-bodied (males); decidedly short-legged, or with legs of medium length (occasionally to about 3 times the body length, e.g. in male Zygiella, but mostly less than twice as long); with eight eyes. The eyes in two horizontal rows of 4; all clear and glassy. The maxillae about as long as broad to shorter than broad. The palpal organs of the male of complex structure and enclosed by the specialized, hollowed tarsal segment (the cymbium). The male palps with a well developed paracymbium. The female palps with a claw. Metatarsus IV of the females without a calamistrum. Tarsal claws 3. Tarsus IV without a ventral ‘comb’. The abdomen angular in shape (sometimes, e.g. in Gibbaranea bituberculosa), or smoothly rounded (often much inflated anteriorly); conspicuously patterned dorsally (nearly always), or plain dorsally (e.g., occasionally in male Hypsosinga pygmaea). The abdomen of the females without a cribellum. The reproductive openings of the females associated with an epigyne.
The adults making snare-webs; constructing orb webs (in various habitats, with closed hubs, those of Zygiella with a segment missing).
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 33 species in Britain; in about 15 genera (i.e., with Araneus broken up, and including Zygiella): Agalenatea, Araneus, Araniella, Argiope, Cercidia, Cyclosa, Gibbaranea, Hypsosinga, Larinioides, Mangora, Neoscona, Nuctenea, Singa, Zilla and Zygiella.
Comments. The labium is swollen distally, and the male palp exhibits a paracymbium. The chelicerae lack stridulating ridges, but usually bear a lateral condyle, and their posterior margins bear one or more teeth.
Illustrations. • Araneus diadematus. Araneus diadematus Clerck: a, female; b, male; d, a variety of the female; e, front view of the sexual organs of the female; f, the latter in profile; g, the palpus of the male from beneath; h, the latter from the upper side; j, the tibial segment of the second pair of legs of the male, showing spines. From Blackwall (1864). • Araneus quadratus. Araneus quadratus Clerck: a, male; b, female; c, a variety of the female; e, profile of the cephalothorax and chelicera; g, apex of the tarsus; h, tarsus, showing hairs, etc.; j, cephalothorax and chelicerae from the front; k and l, two views of the palpus of the male; m, underside, showing chelicerae, maxillae, labium and sternum. From Blackwall (1864). Approximate lengths of male and females indicated separately. • Araneus marmoreus. Araneus marmoreus Clerck: a, male; b, female; c and d, the male palpus, upper- and under-sides respectively. From Blackwall (1864: his Epeira scalaris, referred by Bristowe to Aranea raji betulae and to A. marmoreus by Platnick). • Araneus alsine. Araneus alsine (Walck.): a, female; b, male; c, female sex organs, in profile; d, the palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864). • Araniella cucurbitina. Araniella cucurbitina (Clerck): a, male; b, female; d and e, two views of the palpus of the male; f, cocoon in situ. From Blackwall (1864). • Aculepeira ceropegia. Aculepeira ceropegia (Walck.): a, male; b, female; c, e, and f, three views of the palpus of the male; d, tibia from the second pair of legs of the male, showing the spines. From Blackwall (1864). This species has seemingly not been recorded in Britain since 1853, when the reliable Mr. Francis Walker found a specimen (subsequently forwarded to Blackwall, and illustrated by him) at Chepstow, Monmouthshire. • Agalenatea redii. Agalenatea redii (Scop.): a, female; d, a variety of the female; e, male; f, a variety of the male; g, inside profile of the palpus of the male; h, under-side of the palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864). • Araneus sp.. Araneus sp. - A. sturmi (Hahn) or A. triguttata (Fab.)? a, male; c, female; e and f, upper- and undersides, respectively, of the palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864. According to Bristowe, his usage of the name Epeira agalena involved confusion between the two species). • Cercidia prominens. Cercidia prominens (Westring): a, male; b, female; c-e, three views of the palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864; labelled by him Epeira bella). • Cyclosa conica. Cyclosa conica (Pallas): a, female; b, variety of the female, in side view; d, male; e, underside of the palpus of the male; f, front view of the cephalothorax, showing chelicerae and eyes. From Blackwall (1864). • Gibbaranea gibbosa. Gibbaranea gibbosa (Walck.): a, male; c, female; d, side view of the female; e, abdomen of the male, detailing the pattern of markings; f, palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864). • Hypsosinga albovittata and H. pygmaea. 263, Hypsosinga albovittata (Westr.): a, male; b, female; c and d, palpus of the male, outside profile and under-side, respectively. This is Epeira calva Bl., reduced to synonymy. 264, Hypsosinga pygmaea (Sund.): a, male; b, female (this illustration, labelled by Blackwall E. herii, being identified with H. pygmaea by Bristowe). From Blackwall (1864). • Hypsosinga pygmaea, male. Hypsosinga pygmaea (Sund.): male, with three views of its palps. From Blackwall (1864). This is Epeira anthracina Bl., regarded by Bristowe as a synonym of H. pygmaea, the males of which sometimes lack the usual white stripe (cf. Blackwall's Fig. 263, in the preceding image). • Larinioides cornutus. Larinioides cornutus (Clerck): a, female; b, a variety of then female; c, male; d, a variety of the male; e and f, two views of the palpus of the male (g may be another view of the same palpus, but Blackwall's labelling is confusing). From Blackwall (1864. This is Blackwall's Epeira apoclisa, referred by Bristowe to Aranea foliata, and by Platnick to Larinioides cornutus). • Larinioides sclopetarius. Larinioides sclopetarius (Clerck): a, female; b, male; d, e and f, three views of the palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864: his Epeira sericata, referred by Bristowe to Aranea undulata, and by Platnick to L. sclopetarius). • Larinioides patagiatus. Larinioides patagiatus (Clerck): a, male; b, female; c, a variety of the male; d, under-side of the palpus of the male; e and f, upper side of the male palpus, and its outside profile, respectively. From Blackwall (1864). • Mangora acalypha. Mangora acalypha (Walck.): a and b, female; c, male; d, palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864). • Neoscona adianta. Neoscona adianta (Walck.): a, female; b, male; d, e, and f, three views of the palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864). • Nuctenea umbratica. Nuctenea umbratica (Clerck): a, female; c, male; d and e, palpus of the male, under- and upper-sides, respectively. From Blckwall (1864). • Singa hamata. Singa hamata (Clerck): a, male; b, female; c and d, under-side and outside profile views, respectively, of the male palpus; f, web and cocoon, to the same scale as the scale indicator, which represents the 5 mm long female. From Blackwall (1864. Labelled by him Epeira tubulosa, which Bristowe referred to Singa hamata Oliv.). • Zilla diodia. Zilla diodia (Walck.): a, female; b, male; d and e, under-side and upperside, respectively, of the palp of the male. From Blackwall (1864). • Zygiella x-notata. Zygiella x-notata (Clerck): a, female; b, male; c and d, the palpus of the male; e, a variety of the female; f, the female in her suspended posture. From Blackwall (1864. This is Epeira similis Bl., referred by Bristowe to Zygiella litterata Oliv., referred subsequently to Z. x-notata. • Zygiella atrica. Zygiella atrica (C.L. Koch): a, female; b, male; c, palpus of the male. From Blackwall (1864).
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. The spider families of Britain and Ireland. Version: 5th August 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
