Nearctic States & Provinces: BC
Collection Locales Mapped by Year Collected:
The Nearctic Spider Database, http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/6864
Achaearanea simulans (Thorell, 1875)
FAMILY: THERIDIIDAE Sundevall, 1833
Genus: Achaearanea Strand, 1929
Species: Achaearanea simulans (Thorell, 1875)
Author of this page: Hancock, John (Page complete and awaiting review)
Common Names
Family Common Name:
cobweb weavers
Genus Common Name:
none
Species Common Name:
none
Distribution
Global Distribution: Palearctic
Nearctic States & Provinces:
BC
Collection Locales Mapped by Year Collected:
Natural History, Phenology & Image(s)
Feeding Guild:‡
space web builders
‡Feeding guild when noted defined by Uetz, G. W., J. Halaj, and A. B. Cady. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Journal of Arachnology 27:270-280.
Recorded Habitats:
Low in the canopy of shrubs and trees.
Life & Natural History:
Space-web attached to branches some four feet above the ground. Web tends to collect dead curled-up leaves, which are often used by the female as a retreat and a place to fix their egg-sacs. These egg sacs are a brown paper-like texture and hang from a short thread (Hancock, pers. obs.).
Seasonality of Specimen Records:
Image(s) of Habitus:
Credit: Hancock, John
Details About Males
Description:
Carapace dull yellow with fine lines of dark brown. Legs light brown with orange banding and blotches. Abdomen dull brown with faint dark brown markings (Roberts, 1995)
Male Dimensions:
A+B = 3 mm
A = (not recorded)
C = (not recorded)
Image of External Male Genitalia:
(image not yet available)
Details About Females
Description:
Carapace dull yellow with fine lines of dark brown. Legs light brown with ogange banding and blotches. Abdomen dull brown with faint dark brown markings (Roberts, 1995)
Female Dimensions:
A+B = 5 mm
A = (not recorded)
C = (not recorded)
Image of Epigynum:
Credit: Hancock, John
Descriptions Source:
Roberts, M. J. 1995. Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.
Synonyms and Chresonyms†
| Achaearanea simulans Thorell 1875 |
| Theridion formosum simulans Thorell 1875 |
| Theridion simulans Kulczynski 1898 |
| Theridion simulans Bösenberg 1902 |
| Theridion tepidariorum simulans Wiehle 1937 |
| Theridion tepidariorum simulans Denis 1944 |
| Achaearanea simulans Martin 1972 |
| Achaearanea simulans Locket & Luczak 1974 |
| Achaearanea simulans Locket, Millidge & Merrett 1974 |
| Achaearanea simulans Martin 1974 |
| Achaearanea tepidariorum simulans Palmgren 1974 |
| Achaearanea simulans Punda 1975 |
| Achaearanea tepidariorum simulans Roberts 1985 |
| Achaearanea simulans Heimer & Nentwig 1991 |
| Achaearanea simulans Knoflach 1991 |
| Achaearanea simulans Roberts 1995 |
| Achaearanea simulans Roberts 1998 |
| Achaearanea simulans Yoshida 2000 |
| Achaearanea simulans Namkung 2002 |
| Achaearanea simulans Namkung 2003 |
| Achaearanea simulans Yoshida 2003 |
| Achaearanea simulans Almquist 2005 |
Taxonomic References†
Almquist, S. 2005. Swedish Araneae, part 1: families Atypidae to Hahniidae (Linyphiidae excluded). Insect Syst. Ecol., Suppl. 62: 1-284.
Bösenberg, W. 1902. Die Spinnen Deutschlands. II-IV. Zoologica (Stuttgart) 14: 97-384.
Denis, J. 1944. Sur quelques Theridion appartenant à la faune de France. Bull. Soc. ent. Fr. 49: 111-117.
Heimer, S. & W. Nentwig. 1991. Spinnen Mitteleuropas: Ein Bestimmungsbuch. Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin, 543 pp.
Knoflach, B. 1991. Achaearanea tabulata Levi, eine für Österreich neue Kugelspinne (Arachnida, Aranei: Theridiidae). Ber. nat.-med. Verein Innsbruck 78: 59-64.
Kulczynski, V. 1898. Symbola ad faunam aranearum Austriae inferioris cognoscendam. Rozpr. spraw. wydz. mat. przyrod. Akad. umiej. Cracov 36: 1-114.
Locket, G. H. & J. Luczak. 1974. Achaearanea simulans (Thorell) and its relationship to Achaearanea tepidariorum (C. L. Koch) (Araneae, Theridiidae). Polski Pismo Ent. 44: 267-285.
Locket, G. H., A. F. Millidge & P. Merrett. 1974. British Spiders, Volume III. Ray Society, London, 315 pp.
Martin, D. 1974. Morphologie und Biologie der Kugelspinne Achaearanea simulans (Thorell, 1875) (Araneae: Theridiidae). Mitt. zool. Mus. Berl. 50: 251-262.
Martin, D. 1972. Die Spinnenfauna des Frohburger Raumes IV. Theridiidae. Abh. Ber. naturk. Mus. 'Mauritianum' 7: 275-284.
Namkung, J. 2003. The Spiders of Korea, 2nd. ed. Kyo-Hak Publ. Co., Seoul, 648 pp.
Namkung, N. 2002. The spiders of Korea. Kyo-Hak Publishing Co., Seoul, 648 pp.
Palmgren, P. 1974. Die Spinnenfauna Finnlands und Ostfennoskandiens. V. Theridiinae und Nesticidae. Fauna Fenn. 26: 1-54.
Punda, H. 1975. Pajaki Borów Sosnowych. Polska Akad. Nauk, Warsaw, 91 pp.
Roberts, M. J. 1998. Spinnengids. Tirion, Baarn, Netherlands, 397 pp.
Roberts, M. J. 1995. Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.
Roberts, M. J. 1985. The spiders of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 1: Atypidae to Theridiosomatidae. Harley Books, Colchester, England.
Thorell, T. 1875. Descriptions of several European and North African spiders. Kongl. Svenska. Vet.-Akad. Handl. 13(5): 1-203.
Wiehle, H. 1937. Spinnentier oder Arachnoidea. VIII. Theridiidae oder Haubennetzspinnen (Kugelspinnen). In Die Tierwelt Deutschlands. Jena, 33(26): 119-222.
Yoshida, H. 2003. The spider family Theridiidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from Japan. Arachnological Society of Japan, 224 pp.
Yoshida, H. 2000. The spider genus Achaearanea (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Japan. Acta arachn. Tokyo 49: 137-153.
†Nomenclature and taxonomic references from the World Spider Catalog accessible at http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/THERIDIIDAE.html
Other Nearctic Members of Genus Achaearanea Strand, 1929‡‡
A. acoreensis (Berland, 1932) ...............Cosmopolitan
A. ambera Levi, 1963 ...............USA
A. canionis (Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1929) ...............USA
A. chiricahua Levi, 1955 ...............USA
A. conjuncta (Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936) ...............USA, Canada
A. florendida Levi, 1959 ...............USA to Venezuela
A. florens (O. P.-Cambridge, 1896) ...............USA to Panama, Cuba
A. fresno Levi, 1955 ...............USA
A. globosa (Hentz, 1850) ...............North America
A. insulsa (Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936) ...............USA, Mexico
A. lunata (Clerck, 1757) ...............Palearctic
A. porteri (Banks, 1896) ...............USA to Panama, West Indies
A. riparia (Blackwall, 1834) ...............Palearctic
A. rupicola (Emerton, 1882) ...............USA, Canada
A. schullei (Gertsch & Mulaik, 1936) ...............USA, Mexico
A. serenoae (Gertsch & Archer, 1942) ...............USA
A. tabulata Levi, 1980 ...............Holarctic
‡‡May also include species with Palearctic distribution
Page Reference:
Hancock, John. submitted. Taxonomic and natural history description of FAM: THERIDIIDAE, Achaearanea simulans (Thorell, 1875).
In: The Nearctic Spider Database. David P. Shorthouse (editor). World Wide Web electronic publication. Direct link: http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/6864 (Accessed: 11/20/2008 11:35:06 PM).
Author Email Address: spidermanjohn@shaw.ca
Text Last Modified: 2006-03-04T19:39:49Z