Long-jawed orb weaver

Taxobox
name = Long-jawed orb weaver


image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Metellina mengei"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Arachnida
ordo = Araneae
subordo = Araneomorphae
superfamilia = Araneoidea
familia = Tetragnathidae
familia_authority = Menge, 1866
diversity_link = List of Tetragnathidae species
diversity = 52 genera, 955 species
range_

---

range_map_width = 250px
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Leucauge"
"Meta"
"Mecynometa"
"Metellina"
"Pachygnatha"
"Tetragnatha"
"many others"

The long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (family "Tetragnathidae") are elongated spiders with long legs and chelicerae.

The spiders are orb web weavers, weaving small orb webs with an open hub and few, wide-set radii and spirals. The webs have no signal line and no retreat. Some species are often found in long vegetation near water.

The genus "Nephila", or golden silk orb-weavers, named after the golden tint of their silk, has been separated into its own family, Nephilidae.

ystematics

The categorization into subfamilies follows Joel Hallan's [http://insects.tamu.edu/research/collection/hallan/Acari/Family/Tetragnathidae.txt Biology Catalog] .

* Leucauginae:* "Azilia" Keyserling, 1881:* "Dianleucauge" Song & Zhu, 1994:* "Eryciniolia" Strand, 1912:* "Leucauge" White, 1841:* "Mecynometa" Simon, 1894:* "Memoratrix" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, oligocene):* "Mesida" Kulczyn'ski, 1911:* "Nanometa" Simon, 1908:* "Okileucauge" Tanikawa, 2001:* "Opadometa" Archer, 1951:* "Pickardinella" Archer, 1951:* "Tylorida" Simon, 1894

* Metinae:* "Atelidea" Simon, 1895:* "Atimiosa" Simon, 1895:* "Chrysometa" Simon, 1894:* "Diphya" Nicolet, 1849:* "Dolichognatha" O. P.-Cambridge, 1869:* "Homalometa" Simon, 1897:* "Meta" C. L. Koch, 1836:* "Metabus" O. P.-Cambridge, 1899:* "Metargyra" F. O. P.-Cambridge, 1903:* "Metellina" Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941:* "Metleucauge" Levi, 1980:* "Nanningia" Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997:* "Parameta" Simon, 1895:* "Schenkeliella" Strand, 1934:* "Zygiometella" Wunderlich, 1995

* Tetragnathinae Menge, 1866:* "Agriognatha" O. P.-Cambridge, 1896:* "Antillognatha" Bryant, 1945:* "Cyrtognatha" Keyserling, 1881:* "Doryonychus" Simon, 1900:* "Dyschiriognatha" Simon, 1893:* "Glenognatha" Simon, 1887:* "Hispanognatha" Bryant, 1945:* "Mimicosa" Petrunkevitch, 1925:* "Mitoscelis" Thorell, 1890:* "Pachygnatha" Sundevall, 1823:* "Prionolaema" Simon, 1894:* "Tetragnatha" Latreille, 1804

* "incertae sedis":* "Alcimosphenus" Simon, 1895 (formerly Araneidae):* "Deliochus" Simon, 1894 (formerly Nephilinae):* "Eometa" Petrunkevitch, 1958 † (fossil):* "Guizygiella" Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997:* "Leucognatha" Wunderlich, 1992:* "Macryphantes" Selden, 1990 † (fossil, limestone):* "Menosira" Chikuni, 1955:* "Neoprolochus" Reimoser, 1927:* "Orsinome" Thorell, 1890:* "Palaeometa" Petrunkevitch, 1922 † (fossil):* "Palaeopachygnatha" Petrunkevitch, 1922 † (fossil):* "Parazilia" Lessert, 1938:* "Pholcipes" Schmidt & Krause, 1993:* "Phonognatha" Simon, 1894 (formerly Nephilinae):* "Priscometa" Petrunkevitch, 1958 † (fossil):* "Sancus" Tullgren, 1910:* "Sternospina" Schmidt & Krause, 1993:* "Theridiometa" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, oligocene):* "Timonoe" Thorell, 1898:* "Wolongia" Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997

ee also

* List of Tetragnathidae species
* Spider families

References

* Chickering, A.M. (1963). The Male of "Mecynometa globosa" (O. P.-Cambridge) (Araneae, Argiopidae). "Psyche" 70:180-183. [http://psyche2.entclub.org/articles/70/70-180.pdf PDF]

External links

* [http://cirrusimage.com/spider_longjawed_orb_weaver.htm "Tatragnatha sp".] Large format diagnostic photographs and information
* [http://cirrusimage.com/spider_Tetragnathid.htm Reference Photos: "Tetragnatha laboriosa"]
* [http://cirrusimage.com/spider_Venusta_Orchard.htm Venusta Orchard Spider - Family Tetragnathidae]
* [http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/subimages.cfm?SUB=11645 Pictures of "Tetragnatha sp."] (free for noncommercial use)