Long-jawed orb weaver explained

Long-jawed orb weavers or long jawed spiders (Tetragnathidae) are a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Anton Menge in 1866.^[1] They have elongated bodies, legs, and chelicerae, and build small orb webs with an open hub with few, wide-set radii and spirals with no signal line or retreat. Some species are often found in long vegetation near water.^[2]

Systematics

See main article: List of Tetragnathidae species.

, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following extant genera:^[3]

• Allende Álvarez-Padilla, 2007 — Chile, Argentina
• Antillognatha Bryant, 1945 — Hispaniola
• Atelidea Simon, 1895 — Sri Lanka
• Azilia Keyserling, 1881 — United States, Panama, South America, Caribbean
• Chrysometa Simon, 1894 — South America, Central America, Mexico, Caribbean
• Cyrtognatha Keyserling, 1881 — South America, Central America, Caribbean, Mexico
• Dianleucauge Song & Zhu, 1994 — China
• Diphya Nicolet, 1849 — Asia, South America, Africa
• Dolichognatha O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 — Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, United States, Panama
• Doryonychus Simon, 1900 — Hawaii
• Dyschiriognatha Simon, 1893 — Indonesia, Brazil, Samoa
• Glenognatha Simon, 1887 — Africa, South America, Asia, North America, Central America, Caribbean
• Harlanethis Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — Australia (Queensland)
• Hispanognatha Bryant, 1945 — Hispaniola
• Homalometa Simon, 1898 — Central America, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil
• Iamarra Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — Australia (Queensland)
• Leucauge White, 1841 (including Opas) — Africa, North America, Asia, Oceania, South America, Central America, Caribbean
• Leucognatha Wunderlich, 1992 — Azores, Kenya, Tanzania
• Mesida Kulczyński, 1911 — Oceania, Asia, Africa
• Meta C. L. Koch, 1836 — Asia, North America, Tanzania, Oceania, Cuba
• Metabus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899 — Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic
• Metellina Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941 — Africa, Asia, Canada
• Metleucauge Levi, 1980 — Asia, United States
• Mitoscelis Thorell, 1890 — Indonesia
• Mollemeta Álvarez-Padilla, 2007 — Chile
• Nanningia Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997
• Nanometa Simon, 1908 — Australia
• Neoprolochus Reimoser, 1927 — Indonesia
• Okileucauge Tanikawa, 2001 — China, Japan
• Orsinome Thorell, 1890 — Asia, Oceania, Madagascar
• Pachygnatha Sundevall, 1823 — Africa, Asia, North America, Cuba, Europe
• Parameta Simon, 1895 — Ethiopia, Somalia, Sierra Leone
• Parazilia Lessert, 1938 — Congo
• Pholcipes Schmidt & Krause, 1993 — Comoros
• Pickardinella Archer, 1951 — Mexico
• Pinkfloydia Dimitrov & Hormiga, 2011 — Australia
• Sancus Tullgren, 1910 — Kenya, Tanzania
• Schenkeliella Strand, 1934 — Sri Lanka
• Taraire Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — New Zealand
• Tawhai Álvarez-Padilla, Kallal & Hormiga, 2020 — New Zealand
• Tetragnatha Latreille, 1804 — Asia, South America, Oceania, Africa, North America, Caribbean, Central America, Europe
• Timonoe Thorell, 1898 — Myanmar
• Tylorida Simon, 1894 — Asia, Africa, Oceania
• Wolongia Zhu, Kim & Song, 1997 — China
• Zhinu Kallal & Hormiga, 2018 — Taiwan, Korea, Japan
• Zygiometella Wunderlich, 1995 — Israel

Fossil genera

Several extinct, fossil genera have been described:^[4]

• †Anameta Wunderlich, 2004 (Palaeogene, Bitterfield and Baltic amber)
• †Balticgnatha Wunderlich, 2004 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
• †Corneometa Wunderlich, 2004 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
• †Eometa Petrunkevitch, 1958 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
• †Huergnina Selden & Penney, 2003 (Cretaceous, Las Hoyas, Spain)
• †Macryphantes Selden, 1990 (Cretaceous)
• †Palaeometa Petrunkevitch, 1922 (Palaeogene, Florissant)
• †Palaeopachygnatha Petrunkevitch, 1922 (Palaeogene, Florissant)
• †Priscometa Petrunkevitch, 1958 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)
• †Samlandicmeta Wunderlich, 2012 (Palaeogene, Baltic amber)

Formerly placed here

• Deliochus Simon, 1894 – now in Araneidae
• Eryciniolia Strand, 1912 – now a synonym of Nanometa
• Menosira Chikuni, 1955 – now a synonym of Metellina
• Nediphya Marusik & Omelko, 2017 – now a synonym of Nanometa
• Phonognatha Simon, 1894 – now in Araneidae
• Prolochus Thorell, 1895 – see Dolichognatha

See also

A few spiders in this family include:

• List of Tetragnathidae species
• Leucauge mariana
• Leucauge argyra
• Leucauge venusta

References

• Chickering, A.M. (1963). The Male of Mecynometa globosa (O. P.-Cambridge) (Araneae, Argiopidae). Psyche 70:180–183. PDF

External links

• Tree of Life Tetragnathidae
• Tatragnatha sp. Large format diagnostic photographs and information
• Reference Photos: Tetragnatha laboriosa
• Venusta Orchard Spider - Family Tetragnathidae
• Pictures of Tetragnatha sp. (free for noncommercial use)

Notes and References

1. Menge. Anton. 1866. Preussische Spinnen. Erste Abtheilung. Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Danzig (N.F.). 1.
2. Gould . John . García . Luis Fernando . Valdez . Jose. W. . Water webbing: Long‐jawed spider (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) produces webs that touch the surface of ephemeral waterbodies . Ethology . March 2023 . 129 . 3 . 182–185 . 10.1111/eth.13355 . free .
3. Web site: Family: Tetragnathidae Menge, 1866. World Spider Catalog. 2021-03-06. Natural History Museum Bern.
4. Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2018. A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives. In World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, version 19.0, accessed on 7 October 2018.