Tangle web spider

Taxobox
name = Tangle web spiders


image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Steatoda bipunctata"
fossil_range = Cretaceous [Grimaldi,D.A. et al. Fossiliferous Cretaceous Amber from Myanmar (Burma): Its Rediscovery, Biotic Diversity, and Paleontological Significance. American Museum Novitates, No 3361, 2002] - present
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Arachnida
ordo = Araneae
superfamilia = Araneoidea
familia = Theridiidae
familia_authority = Sundevall, 1833
diversity_link = List of Theridiidae species
diversity = 98 genera, 2288 species
range_

---

range_map_width = 250px
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Achaearanea"
"Anelosimus"
"Argyrodes"
"Cabello"
"Cerocida"
"Chrosiothes"
"Chrysso"
"Craspedisia"
"Enoplognatha"
"Episinus"
"Hetschkia"
"Latrodectus"
"Paratheridula"
"Spintharus"
"Steatoda"
"Stemmops"
"Styposis"
"Theridion"
"Theridula"
"Thwaitesia"
"Tidarren"
"Wirada"
"many more"

The tangle-web spiders, also known as cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders (family Theridiidae) are a large group (over 2200 species in 98 genera [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/COUNTS.html] ) of three-dimensional space-web-builders found throughout the world. Theridiid spiders are entelegyne (have a genital plate in the female) araneomorph ecribellate (use sticky capture silk instead of woolly silk) spiders that often build tangle space webs and have a comb of serrated bristles (setae) on the tarsus of the fourth leg.

The family includes some model organisms for research. For example, the genus "Latrodectus", the medically important widow spiders. In addition to studies characterizing their venom and its clinical manifestation, widow spiders are broadly used in research on spider silk, and on sexual biology including sexual cannibalism.

Anelosimus spiders are another model organisms in the family, used for the study of sociality, its evolution, and its ecological and evolutionary causes and consequences. They are particularly important for such studies as the genus contains species varying from solitary to permanently social, and because sociality has evolved frequently within the genus allowing comparative studies across species. These spiders are also a promising model for the study of inbreeding as their mating system co-varies with sociality, and all permanently social species are highly inbred.

One species in "Theridion", the Hawaiian "T. grallator", is used as a model to understand the selective forces and the genetic basis of color polymorphism within species. Theridion grallator is known as the "happyface" spider, as certain morphs have a pattern uncannily resembling a smiley face or a grinning clown face on their yellow body.

The family also contains the well studied kleptoparasitic species of the subfamily Argyrodinae (including "Argyrodes", "Faiditus", and "Neospintharus") which often have triangular bodies. These spiders live in the webs of larger spiders and pilfer small prey caught by their host's web, eat prey killed by the host spider, and may consume silk from the host web, as well as attack and eat the host itself.

The largest genus with over 600 species currently placed in it is "Theridion", but it is not monophyletic. Another large, but most likely polyphyletic genus is "Achaearanea", that includes the common house spider.

Many theridiids trap ants and other ground dwelling insects by means of elastic sticky silk trap lines leading to the soil surface. Despite their name, cobweb, or tangle-web, spiders have a huge range of web architectures.

ystematics

Recent years have seen advances in the systematics of cobweb spiders with phylogenies reconstructed using both morphological and molecular data. The following classification is built on these results (see also Joel Hallan's [http://insects.tamu.edu/research/collection/hallan/Acari/Family/Theridiidae.txt Biology Catalog] ).

* Argyrodinae:* "Argyrodes" Simon, 1864:* "Neospintharus" Exline, 1950:* "Ariamnes" Thorell, 1869:* "Deelemanella" Yoshida, 2003:* "Faiditus" Keyserling, 1884:* "Rhomphaea" L. Koch, 1872:* "Spheropistha" Yaginuma, 1957

* Hadrotarsinae:* "Anatea" Berland, 1927:* "Audifia" Keyserling, 1884:* "Dipoena" Thorell, 1869:* "Dipoenata" Wunderlich, 1988:* "Emertonella" Bryant, 1945:* "Euryopis" Menge, 1868:* "Eurypoena" Wunderlich, 1992:* "Gmogala" Keyserling, 1890:* "Guaraniella" Baert, 1984:* "Hadrotarsus" Thorell, 1881:* "Lasaeola" Simon, 1881:* "Phycosoma" O. P.-Cambridge, 1879:* "Yaginumena" Yoshida, 2002:* "Yoroa" Baert, 1984

* Latrodectinae Petrunkevitch, 1928:* "Crustulina" Menge, 1868:* "Latrodectus" Walckenaer, 1805:* "Steatoda" Sundevall, 1833

* Pholcommatinae Simon, 1894:* "Asygyna" Agnarsson, 2006:* "Carniella" Thaler & Steinberger, 1988:* "Cerocida" Simon, 1894:* "Craspedisia" Simon, 1894:* "Enoplognatha" Pavesi, 1880:* "Helvidia" Thorell, 1890:* "Pholcomma" Thorell, 1869:* "Phoroncidia" Westwood, 1835:* "Proboscidula" Miller, 1970:* "Robertus" O. P.-Cambridge, 1879:* "Selkirkiella" Berland, 1924:* "Styposis" Simon, 1894:* "Theonoe" Simon, 1881:* "Wirada" Keyserling, 1886

* Sphintharinae:* "Chrosiothes" Simon, 1894:* "Episinus" Walckenaer, in Latreille, 1809:* "Moneta" O. P.-Cambridge, 1870:* "Spintharus" Hentz, 1850:* "Thwaitesia" O. P.-Cambridge, 1881:* "Stemmops" O. P.-Cambridge, 1894

* Theridiinae:* "Achaearanea" Strand, 1929:* "Achaearyopa" Barrion & Litsinger, 1995:* "Ameridion" Wunderlich, 1995:* "Cabello" Levi, 1964:* "Cephalobares" O. P.-Cambridge, 1870:* "Chrysso" O. P.-Cambridge, 1882:* "Coleosoma" O. P.-Cambridge, 1882:* "Cyllognatha" L. Koch, 1872:* "Dipoenura" Simon, 1908:* "Echinotheridion" Levi, 1963:* "Exalbidion" Wunderlich, 1995:* "Helvibis" Keyserling, 1884:* "Histagonia" Simon, 1895:* "Jamaitidion" Wunderlich, 1995:* "Keijia" Yoshida, 2001:* "Macaridion" Wunderlich, 1992:* "Molione" Thorell, 1892:* "Neottiura" Menge, 1868:* "Nesticodes" Archer, 1950:* "Nipponidion" Yoshida, 2001:* "Paratheridula" Levi, 1957:* "Propostira" Simon, 1894:* "Rugathodes" Archer, 1950:* "Sardinidion" Wunderlich, 1995:* "Simitidion" Wunderlich, 1992:* "Takayus" Yoshida, 2001:* "Tekellina" Levi, 1957:* "Theridion" Walckenaer, 1805:* "Theridula" Emerton, 1882:* "Thymoites" Keyserling, 1884:* "Tidarren" Chamberlin & Ivie, 1934:* "Wamba" O. P.-Cambridge, 1896

* "incertae sedis":* "Anelosimus" Simon, 1891:* "Astodipoena" Petrunkevitch, 1958 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Chorizopella" Lawrence, 1947:* "Clya" Koch & Berendt, 1854 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Coscinida" Simon, 1895:* "Eodipoena" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Eoysmena" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Flegia" Koch & Berendt, 1854 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Hetschkia" Keyserling, 1886:* "Icona" Forster, 1955:* "Kochiura" Archer, 1950:* "Landoppo" Barrion & Litsinger, 1995:* "Marianana" Georgescu, 1989:* "Mictodipoena" Petrunkevitch, 1958 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Municeps" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Nactodipoena" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, Eocene):* "Paidiscura" Archer, 1950:* "Tomoxena" Simon, 1895:* "Zercidium" Benoit, 1977

Gallery

ee also

* List of Theridiidae species
* Spider families
* Cobweb habitude spiders
* Theridiid webs

References

* Agnarsson I. 2006a. A revision of the New World eximius lineage of Anelosimus (Araneae, Theridiidae) and a phylogenetic analysis using worldwide exemplars. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 146: 453-593. [http://theridiidae.com/pdf/Agnarsson2006a.pdf PDF]
* Agnarsson I. 2006b. Asymmetric female genitalia and other remarkable morphology in a new genus of cobweb spiders (Theridiidae, Araneae) from Madagascar. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 87: 211-232. [http://theridiidae.com/pdf/Agnarsson2006b.pdf PDF]
* Agnarsson I. 2006c. Phylogenetic placement of Echinotheridion (Araneae: Theridiidae) - do male sexual organ removal, emasculation, and sexual cannibalism in Echinotheridion and Tidarren represent evolutionary replicas? Invertebrate Systematics 20: 415-429. [http://theridiidae.com/Publications_files/Agnarsson2006c.pdf PDF]
* Agnarsson I. 2004. Morphological phylogeny of cobweb spiders and their relatives (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141: 447-626. [http://theridiidae.com/pdf/Agnarsson2004.pdf PDF]
* Cooperative behavior of "Anelosimus jabaquara" (2002). [http://pocketknowledge.tc.columbia.edu/home.php/viewfile/download/813 PDF]
* Arnedo, M.A., Coddington, J., Agnarsson, I. & Gillespie, R.G. (2004). From a comb to a tree: phylogenetic relationships of the comb-footed spiders (Araneae, Theridiidae) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial genes. "Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution" 31:225-245. [http://theridiidae.com/pdf/Arnedoetal2004.pdf PDF]
* Arnedo MA, Agnarsson I, Gillespie RG. In Press. Molecular insights into the phylogenetic structure of the spider genus Theridion (Araneae, Theridiidae) and the origin of the Hawaiian Theridion-like fauna. Zoologica Scripta.
* Aviles, L., Maddison, W.P. and Agnarsson, I. 2006. A new independently derived social spider with explosive colony proliferation and a female size dimorphism. Biotropica, 38: 743-753.
* Benjamin, S.P. and Zschokke, S. 2003. Webs of theridiid spiders: construction, structure and evolution. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 78: 293-305.
* Blackledge, T.A., Swindeman, J.E. and Hayashi, C.Y. 2005. Quasistatic and continuous dynamic characterization of the mechanical properties of silk from the cobweb of the black widow spider Latrodectus hesperus. Journal of Experimental Biology, 208: 1937-1949.
* Blackledge, T.A. and Zevenbergen, J.M. 2007. Condition dependent spider web architecture in the western black widow Latrodectus hesperus. Animal Behaviour, 73: 855-864.
* Gillespie, R.G. and Tabashnik, B.E. 1994. Foraging Behavior of the Hawaiian Happy Face Spider (Araneae, Theridiidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 87: 815-822.
* Gillespie, R.G. and Tabashnik, B.E. 1989. What makes a happy face? Determinants of color pattern in the Hawaiian happy face spider Theridion grallator (Araneae, Theridiidae). Heredity, 62: 355-364.
* Grostal, P. and Walter, D.E. 1997. Kleptoparasites or commensals? Effects of Argyrodes antipodianus (Araneae: Theridiidae) on nephila plumipes (Araneae: Tetragnathidae). Oecologia, 111: 570-574.
* Oxford, G.S. and Gillespie, R.G. 1996. Quantum shifts in the genetic control of a colour polymorphism in Theridion grallator (Araneae: Theridiidae), the Hawaiian happy-face spider. Heredity, 76: 249-256.
* Oxford, G.S. and Gillespie, R.G. 1996. Genetics of a colour polymorphism in Theridion grallator (Araneae: Theridiidae), the Hawaiian happy-face spider, from greater Maui. Heredity, 76: 238-248.
* Purcell, J. and Aviles, L. 2007. Smaller colonies and more solitary living mark higher elevation populations of a social spider. Journal of Animal Ecology, 76: 590-597.
* Vollrath, F. 1979. Behavior of the Kleptoparasitic Spider Argyrodes-Elevatus (Araneae, Theridiidae). Animal Behaviour, 27: 515-521.

External links

* [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/THERIDIIDAE.html Platnick, N.I. 2006. World Spider Catalog]
* [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/blackrock2/families/theridiidae.htm Key to several Theridiidae genera]
* [http://tolweb.org/Theridiidae/2797 Tree of Life: Theridiidae]
* [http://theridiidae.com Theridiidae researcj]