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Higher taxa:  Life   Arachnida   Global map IDnature guides: Groups_Arachnida, Spiders, USGAClarke

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© John Pickering, 2006-2010 Nephila clavipes, Golden Silk Orbweaver, female

Kinds

Acanthoctenidae Actinopodidae -- Mouse spiders Agelenidae -- Funnel weavers, Funnel Spiders, Grass spiders, Funnel-web spiders Amaurobiidae -- Hackledmesh weavers, Hacklemesh Weavers Ammoxenidae Amphinectidae Anapidae Antrodiaetidae -- Foldingdoor spiders, Folding-door Spiders Anyphaenidae -- Ghost spiders Aphantochilidae Araneidae -- Orbweavers, Orb Weavers Archaeidae Argyronetidae Atypidae -- Purseweb spiders, Purseweb Spiders Austrochilidae Barychelidae -- Brushfooted trapdoor spiders Caponiidae Chummidae Cithaeronidae Clubionidae -- Sac spiders, Sac Spiders, Two-clawed hunting spiders Corinnidae -- Antmimic spiders, Antmimics Cryptothelidae Ctenidae -- Wandering spiders Ctenizidae -- Trapdoor spiders Cyatholipidae Cybaeidae -- Water spiders Cycloctenidae -- Scuttling spiders Cyrtaucheniidae Deinopidae -- Ogrefaced spiders Desidae Dictynidae -- Meshweavers, Mesh Web Weavers, Hackled-band weavers Diguetidae -- Desertshrub spiders Dinopidae Dipluridae -- Funnelweb spiders Dresserus Drymusidae Dysderidae -- Dysderids Eresidae Filistatidae -- Crevice weavers Gallieniellidae Gnaphosidae -- Stealthy ground spiders, Ground Spiders, Hunting spiders Gradungulidae Hadrotarsidae Hahniidae -- Hahniid sheet-web spiders Halidae -- Halid spiders Hersiliidae -- Longspinneret spiders, Hersiliids Heteropodidae Heterozerconidae Hexathelidae -- Australian funnelweb spiders Hickmaniidae Holarchaeidae Homalonychidae -- Dusty desert spiders Huttoniidae Hypochilidae -- Lampshade weavers Idiopidae -- Armored trapdoor spiders Lamponidae -- Whitetailed spiders Leptonetidae -- Cave spiders Linyphiidae -- Sheetweb and dwarf weavers, Sheetweb Spiders, Dwarf Spiders Liocranidae Liphistiidae -- Segmented trapdoor spiders Loxoscelidae -- Recluse spiders Lycosidae -- Wolf spiders Lyssomanidae Malkaridae -- Shield spiders Mecicobothriidae Mecysmaucheniidae Micropholcommatidae Microstigmatidae Migidae -- Tree trapdoor spiders Mimetidae -- Pirate spiders, Spider-hunting spiders Misumenoides Miturgidae -- Prowling spiders, Prowling Spiders Mysmenidae -- Dwarf cobweb weavers Nemesiidae -- Tubetrapdoor, Wishbone spiders Neolanidae Nesticidae -- Cave cobweb spiders Nicodamidae Ochyroceratidae Oecobiidae -- Flatmesh weavers, Wall spiders Oonopidae -- Dwarf sixeyed spiders Orsolobidae Oxyopidae -- Lynx spiders, Lynx Spiders Pacullidae Palpimanidae Pararchaeidae Paratropididae -- Baldlegged spiders Periegopidae Philodromidae -- Running crab spiders, Running Crab Spiders Pholcidae -- Cellar, Daddylongleg spiders, Cellar spiders, Daddy-long-legs spiders, Long-legged spiders Phyxelididae Pimoidae Pisauridae -- Nursery web spiders, Nursery-web spiders, Fishing spiders Platoridae Plectreuridae Prodidomidae Psechridae Pycnothelidae Salticidae -- Jumping spiders Scytodidae -- Spitting spiders Segestriidae -- Tunnel spiders Selenopidae Senoculidae Sicariidae -- Sixeyed sicariid spiders Sparassidae -- Giant crab spiders, Giant Crab Spiders Stenochilidae Stiphidiidae Symphytognathidae -- Dwarf orbweavers Synaphridae Synotaxidae Telemidae Tengellidae Tetrablemmidae Tetragnathidae -- Longjawed orbweavers, Longjawed Orb Weavers Textricellidae Thaididae Theraphosidae -- Tarantulas Theridiidae -- Cobweb weavers, Cobweb Spiders, Comb-footed spiders Theridiosomatidae -- Ray orbweavers Thomisidae -- Crab spiders, Crab Spiders Titanoecidae Toxopidae Trechaleidae Trochanteriidae Uloboridae -- Hackled orbweavers, Hackled orb weavers, Uloborid spiders Unknown Zodariidae Zoridae Zorocratidae Zoropsidae

Overview

Spiders are a group of Arachnida. Spiders make use of silk that they spin to fly or catch insects. Most spiders are terrestrial, but some have adapted to freshwater by trapping air bubbles and carrying these bubbles with them. Spiders occur worldwide and about 34,000 species have been identified. Spiders have eight legs, anterior appendages bearing fangs and poison glands, and specialized reproductive organs on the second second appendages of the male. Most spiders have a body length of less than 1 cm, but the largest spider has a body length of about 9 cm. Spider leg length, however, can be much greater than that. Spiders are carnivorous and feed on living prey. The bite of a spider can be painful, but most are too small to break the human skin. Even fewer spiders are dangerous to humans.

Phylogeny

Scientific Name -- Common Name Arthropoda -- Arthropods Arachnida -- Arachnids Araneae -- Spiders Gnaphosidae Thaididae Araneidae -- orbweavers Leptonetidae Linyphiidae -- dwarf and sheetweb weavers Pisauridae Theridiidae -- cobweb weavers Agelenidae -- funnel weavers Clubionidae Loxoscelidae Lycosidae -- wolf spiders Miturgidae Pholcidae -- cellar spiders Salticidae -- jumping spiders Theraphosidae Thomisidae -- crab spiders Uloboridae -- hackled orbweavers

Photographs

© John Pickering, 2006	© John Pickering, 2006
Links to other sites
World Spider Catalog -- American Museum of Natural History Arachnology Checklist of spiders of North America Australian museum online -- Spider information University of California, Irvine -- Spider photographs EVERYTHING about.net -- Spider information International Society of Arachnology -- additional Websites Discover Life Student Project -- Information on family Araneidae African Arachnida Database
Acknowledgements
We thank Justin Long, John Pickering & Cassie Lloyd for technical support in developing this page.