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- ›Gasteracanthinae
Spiny Orbweavers
Gasteracantha
Spiny orb-weavers is a common name for Gasteracantha, a genus of spiders. They are also commonly called spiny-backed orb-weavers, due to the prominent spines on their abdomen (compare genus Isoxya). These spiders can reach sizes of up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter (measured from spike to spike). Although their abdomen is shaped like a crab shell with spikes, it is not to be confused with a crab spider.
60 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Spinybacked Orbweaver
speciesGasteracantha cancriformis
Black-and-white Spiny Spider
speciesGasteracantha kuhli
Northern Jewelled Spider
speciesGasteracantha fornicata
Oriental Spiny Orb-weaver
speciesGasteracantha geminata
Parallel-spined Spiny Orbweaver
speciesGasteracantha diardi
Four-spined Spiny Orbweaver
speciesGasteracantha quadrispinosa
Shorthorn Kitespider
speciesGasteracantha sanguinolenta
Spiny Orb-Weaver Spider
speciesGasteracantha diadesmia
Priestly Spiny Orbweaver
speciesGasteracantha sacerdotalis
Gasteracantha sauteri
speciesGasteracantha sauteri
Common Kitespider
speciesGasteracantha versicolor
Scimitar-horn Kitespider
speciesGasteracantha falcicornis
Medium-wing Kitespider
speciesGasteracantha milvoides
Doria's Spiny Spider
speciesGasteracantha doriae
Gasteracantha curvispina
speciesGasteracantha curvispina
Gasteracantha panisicca
speciesGasteracantha panisicca
Gasteracantha hecata
speciesGasteracantha hecata
Gasteracantha dalyi
speciesGasteracantha dalyi
Gasteracantha mengei
speciesGasteracantha mengei
Gasteracantha clavigera
speciesGasteracantha clavigera
Gasteracantha rhomboidea
speciesGasteracantha rhomboidea
Gasteracantha sanguinea
speciesGasteracantha sanguinea
Christmas spider
speciesGasteracantha taeniata
Gasteracantha westringi
speciesGasteracantha westringi
Gasteracantha mediofusca
speciesGasteracantha mediofusca
Gasteracantha crucigera
speciesGasteracantha crucigera
Gasteracantha thorelli
speciesGasteracantha thorelli
Gasteracantha clavatrix
speciesGasteracantha clavatrix
Gasteracantha thomasinsulae
speciesGasteracantha thomasinsulae
Gasteracantha irradiata
speciesGasteracantha irradiata
Gasteracantha remifera
speciesGasteracantha remifera
Gasteracantha rubrospinis
speciesGasteracantha rubrospinis
Gasteracantha transversa
speciesGasteracantha transversa
Gasteracantha signifera
speciesGasteracantha signifera
Gasteracantha theisi
speciesGasteracantha theisi
Gasteracantha tondanae
speciesGasteracantha tondanae
Gasteracantha frontata
speciesGasteracantha frontata
Gasteracantha fasciata
speciesGasteracantha fasciata
Gasteracantha sturi
speciesGasteracantha sturi
Gasteracantha unguifera
speciesGasteracantha unguifera
Gasteracantha scintillans
speciesGasteracantha scintillans
Gasteracantha lunata
speciesGasteracantha lunata
Gasteracantha audouini
speciesGasteracantha audouini
Gasteracantha interrupta
speciesGasteracantha interrupta
Gasteracantha aciculata
speciesGasteracantha aciculata
Gasteracantha janopol
speciesGasteracantha janopol
Gasteracantha sororna
speciesGasteracantha sororna
Gasteracantha notata
speciesGasteracantha notata
Gasteracantha parangdiadesmia
speciesGasteracantha parangdiadesmia
Gasteracantha aureola
speciesGasteracantha aureola
Gasteracantha metallica
speciesGasteracantha metallica
Gasteracantha recurva
speciesGasteracantha recurva
Gasteracantha beccarii
speciesGasteracantha beccarii
Gasteracantha lepelletieri
speciesGasteracantha lepelletieri
Gasteracantha regalis
speciesGasteracantha regalis
Gasteracantha acutispina
speciesGasteracantha acutispina
Gasteracantha pentagona
speciesGasteracantha pentagona
Gasteracantha sapperi
speciesGasteracantha sapperi
Gasteracantha simoni
speciesGasteracantha simoni
Gasteracantha curvistyla
speciesGasteracantha curvistyla
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Gasteracantha in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 49541.